Re:Gamer
by Akallas von Aerok
Summary: Normally, heroes are given a second chance, whether that chance be second life or another go at their current. Naruto was given such a chance because really, how could you not be called a hero after stopping an invasion? But could it truly be called a second chance if he is not even human? What the hell was he supposed to do as an Imp?
1. Chapter 1

**Re:Gamer  
****A Naruto/Re:Monster Crossover  
By Akallas von Aerok  
© 2015 . Akallas von Aerok, All rights reserved**

**Copyright Updated on 5/26/2016**

* * *

**Hello, my name is Slender's Father, and you are reading the start of a spin-off of my Gamer of Konoha. This one is similar except this will have D&amp;D creatures coming out almost every chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 1:**  
**Starting a New Life**

* * *

**Day 1:**

When his eyes opened up, the first thing he thought of, felt, and experienced, was ... confusion. How had he been able to open his eyes again? The last time he had his eyes open, he was in a fight for death.

Death against invaders rampaging across his homeland.

His name is ... Uzumaki Naruto.

Last time he had been awake, the battle for the Forest of Senju had begun between his forces of clones and artillery and the insectoid invaders from beyond the known world. He had been ordered by his superior, Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, to delay the invaders from reaching the capital of Fire. With only a hundred kilometer left between them and the last defense for the capital of Fire, Naruto had set up his defensive line in the Forest of Senju, a sparsely populated area filled with ancient trees created by one Senju Hashirama.

He employed thousands of clones along with tens of siege tanks whose design he ripped off from games.

Then the battle begun.

Naruto's artillery teams fired shots after shots, decimating the enemy forces along with the forest on the other side of the small canyon they were on. His clones, armed with rifles and great clevers, smashed into the invading army.

But a thousand could never win against a _hundred thousand_.

Eventually, less than an hour after the battle begun, the invaders got to several of the artilleries and took them out. Without half of the artilleries in the fight, the invaders began to push rapidly towards their main base. After he ordered his team members, Kiba and Sasuke, to retreat, Naruto was forced to engage in the battle himself to delay the invaders as much as possible.

Then he met someone who was strong. Someone on his level.

As explosions, screams, and stench of deaths hung around them, he and his match fought in a deathmatch.

He took out the insectoid's few arms. It took his left.

In the final clash, Naruto viciously swung his great clever down on the insectoid's face, killing it instantly. However, the damage had been done.

He collapsed on the forest floor with his own guts spilling out of the large gap the insectoid invader had created.

His eyes were heavy, and he felt them close. His final thought had been about if the heaviness he felt was what death was.

But now ... he could see again, albeit very blurrily. He could feel again.

He definitely did not have his gut out in the open.

At the same time, he felt a heaviness that was very different from the last he experienced. This heaviness was ... just heavy. His arms were heavy. His head was heavy. His legs were heavy!

Everything was heavy.

And he felt hungry. He felt very hungry.

Someone black appeared over my head. Huh, whoever this is must be wearing some funky hat.

There was something that they placed on my lips, and naturally, I sucked. Milk?

Eh, too tired to care.

Weird, I also suddenly feel to.. to ... too sleepy...

* * *

**Day 2**

He was busy drinking the milk the nurse was giving him. His eye sight was still bad, but his nose was working fine. Unfortunately, the world around him stunk. Usually, the stink he smelled was associated to dead and dying, yet he felt no pain. Perhaps he was in a hospital.

It made sense now, why he was not feeling any pain. Someone must have returned for him, and rescued him after he fell unconscious. They must have been quick, though, to have saved him.

...Or not. If he was not feeling pain when he should be, he was put on pain killers. If he was on pain killers, then there was something wrong with him.

If something's wrong with him...

Ugh.

Suddenly, he was happy that his eyes were blurry to omit the details of his fall. Why hadn't his Gamer ability healed him?

Once again, fatigue was getting to him for _thinking_. Time to sleep...

* * *

**Day 5**

The eyes opened again, and surprisingly, he felt better.

He tried to sit up, and he sat up.

He tried to move his limbs, and he did.

And he did it again, and again and again... Until he began to cry.

The thing is, every time he moved his arms, he did not see a peach colored arms and legs moving. He saw thin, red-skinned, and short hairy limbs moving.

What the hell had happened to him?!

He tried to stand up, and he stood up, and once he did, he realized that his eyes were also better.

He wished his eyes hadn't been able to see at all.

He was in a cave ... surrounded by creatures that looked like him. And man, were they ugly as hell.

He looked around, and found that he had gained an advantage despite his change: night vision. The cave had little light flowing in, and yet despite that, he could see more than he would have before ... this change.

And at the same time, he found the source of the smell.

On the other side of the cave was a a pile of corpses. They were all naked, some women and others men, but they were all dead for sure.

Ergh.

Please don't tell me that's our food.

My ear twitched as a small sound shuffled behind me, and I turned around to look.

It was a ... older version of ... himself?

"Ah, so you can walk and see already. You are quite fast with development, aren't you?" it asked me.

"W..." Naruto tried to speak, but found that he could not. Rather, his vocal cord felt like sand. "W-What-"

The old imp looked impressed. "Speaking too, already! Definitely curious. Most of our impkind can't speak until the 7th day, you know. You must be very gifted to be able to speak already. But I think I know why you're awake."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

The old imp stared off into space for a bit before he smiled. "I almost forgot. You're name is ..."

_PING_

Oh god.

Oh god, please no.

**Welcome to Character Creation!**  
**[Next ]**

"Motherfu-!"

_-*Please Wait a Moment__. An Interruption in progress.__*-_

"-ll burn your mountains and rivers! Then I'll rape everything I see with an army bef-!"

_-*Please Wait a Moment__. An Interruption in progress.__*-_

"-nd shove your laws up your ass! You hear me?! I will grab your sons and daug-!"

_-*Please Wait a Moment. An Interruption in progress.*-_

Naruto huffed and gasped, having said his piece to Gaia, who he assumed was behind his reincarnation and subsequent ... changes. He looked around, and found that everything was frozen. Naruto knew that it had to do with the "game mechanics." It meant that he would not be able to leave this place nor space until he moved on.

He looked back to the ethereal screen. "Damn it," he muttered as he pressed Next.

The screen went blank before widening.

**Basic Character Stat**

**This is your Basic Character Status Page where it shows you your current basic status. You have 5 points to invest, but you need not do it immediately. Press [Next ] to move on.**

**LvL: 1**

**Strength: 3 [+][-] + (-2 Gremlin Kind)**  
_Ability related to physical power of bodily functions._  
_Any living being that is not made out of gas has at least 1 strength._

**Dexterity: 6 [+][-] ****\+ (-2 Gremlin Kind)**  
_Ability related to flexibility, movement, and dodging._  
_Any living being that is not made out of gas has at least 1 dexterity._

**Agility: 4 [+][-]**  
_Ability related to movement and speed._  
_Any living being that is not made out of gas has at least 1 agility._

**Endurance: 3 [+][-]**  
_Ability related to prolong an activity._  
_Any living being that is not made out of gas has at least 1 endurance._

**Intelligence: 10 [+][-]**  
_Ability related to learning and solving._  
_Any living being that is not made out of gas has at least 1 intelligence._

**Wisdom: 10 [+][-]**  
_Ability related to making connections._  
_Any living being that is not made out of gas has at least 1 wisdom._

**Charisma: 2 [+][-]**  
_Ability related to persuasion and attraction._  
_Any living being that is not made out of gas has at least 1 charisma._

**Spirit: 5 [+][-]**

**Magic: 10 [+][-]**

**Power: 3 [+][-]**

**Points to Spend: 5**

**[Next ]**

If Naruto knew one thing about gaming, it was that he needed to save his points until he needed them. So he pressed the next button.

**Advanced Character Stat**

**This is your Advanced Character Status page. This page is composed of Traits, Focus, and Reputation/Connections. To advance, you must balance your Trait points between -10 and 10.**

**Traits:**

**Available:  
**

_Strong (-30)_  
_Weak (+20)_  
_Genius (-60)_  
_Quick (-20)_  
_Cynical (+5)_  
_Gregarious (-9)_  
_Possessed (+18)_  
_Depressed (+17)  
Irritable (+8)_  
_Ugly (+30)_  
_Slow (+18)_  
_Wroth (+5)_  
_Greedy (+5)_  
_Lustful (+5)_  
_Proud (+5)_  
_Gluttonous (+15)_  
_Slothful (+10)_  
_Envious (+5)_  
_Patient (-5)_  
_Charitable (-5)_  
_Chaste (-5)_  
_Temperate (-5)_  
_Diligent (-5)_  
_Humble (-5)_  
_Brave (-11)_  
_Craven (+11)_  
_Shy (-2)_  
_Ambitious (-3)_  
_Content (+16)_  
_Honest (+7)_  
_Deceitful (+5)_  
_Just (-13)_  
_Trusting (+1)_  
_Cruel (+8)_  
_Blind (+40)_

**Undiscovered Traits: 50+**

**Taken:**

_Ambitious _  
_Quick_

**Fixed(These traits cannot be removed or disabled):**

Gremlin-kind  
_"Disgusting, horrible, mischievous, and a horrible labor. I recommend extermination."_  
_+Opponents often underestimate you  
+Fast growth (10 days to adulthood)_  
_*Small Size_  
_-Large humanoids are hostile to you.  
__-Reduced physical status (-2 STR, -2 END)_

The Gamer  
_"You are the Gamer, one who can do everything."_  
_+Nothing can mind control you._  
_+Resting at "Home" results in healing the Gamer to top condition, removing debuffs and restoring health._

**Trait Points: 0  
Warning: Once gained and confirmed, traits cannot be removed unless a certain action or series of actions are taken.  
Note: Few of the traits will "react" to the focus you take. So be aware.  
Note: Traits already taken do not count towards Trait points.**

**Focus:  
****Choose One**

_Learning_  
_Experimenting_  
_Hunting_  
_Leadership_  
_Friendship_  
_Growing_

**Reputation/Connections:  
**

**Which Faction do you side with?  
**

**Gremlin-kind: 100 (your home faction)**

Naruto gawked at the list of traits alone. There were so much traits!

"Well, let's see..." he muttered as he looked over the list of traits available to him. "How about genius?"

_[Genius_  
_+10 to all stat's excluding spirit, magic, and endurance._  
_+1 to all stat gains. (Ex: Increasing 1 point on STR would give additional point to STR due to Genius trait)._  
_-Extremely expensive trait (-60)]_

"60 points, huh?" he said as he looked through the list for the traits to balance the genius trait. 60 points was obviously a lot, but the benefits of the Genius trait would be worth some negative traits. 2 points per 1 spent? That was like LvLings twice! But what trait could he use to counter the points negated?

There were very few traits that could offer big boost in the points. Weak trait, for example, gave him 20 points.

But...

_[Weak_  
_+You may rid yourself of this trait if you train hard for a long time. The amount of training needed is uncertain, however..._  
_-10 to Endurance, Strength, Dexterity, and Agility.]_

It was Genius's opposite. It would take away all of Genius's initial bonuses and more. Endurance would be killed for sure, but Naruto could invest back into it.

**[Trait - Weak: Taken]**

**[Trait - Genius: Taken]**

Depressed did not sound too bad, but he didn't want to be suicidal should that lead there...

Cynical also didn't sound bad.

_[Cynical_  
_+Easily get on with individuals with [Cynical] trait._  
_\+ +20% success to finding others' Intrigue-related activities._  
_*You never ever go over anything that is mildly suspicious._  
_-Harder to trust anyone._  
_-Harder to make friends with individuals who do not have cynical trait.]_

**[Trait - Cynical: Taken]**

"And how many points do I have to fill now?" The resulting trait point calculated to be -58.

"How about **[Depressed]**? I mean, I don't like being suicidal, but I need to at least know what it is like," he said to himself as he opened up Depressed's details.

_[Depressed_  
_-You have 10% chance of being suicidal when you fail a large project._  
_\- -1 to Charisma every character LvL gained.]_

**[Trait - Depressed: Taken]**

"It's not so bad for the points it gives..." Naruto muttered outloud. "Bah, I'll take it." Which brought the point to -41. "31 more to go. *sigh* I want to get over with this already." He paused for a bit. "If I get Content right now, I'll be okay with the points. What does the Content trait do?"

_[Content_  
_"Slow advancement, no motivation. How content are you?"_  
_+Increased happiness with any success._  
_-Lack of motivation_  
_-Decreased need of accomplishment]_

**[Trait - Content: Taken]**

Naruto nodded, completely satisfied with his choice. He was at -2 trait points right now, which allowed him to pass the Trait portions, and move unto the Focus portion. Just to make sure, he went to see the list of traits he had taken before he moved on.

**Traits Taken:**  
_Ambitious_  
_Quick_  
_Genius_  
_Weak_  
_Cynical_  
_Depressed_  
_Content_

"Well, I guess I'm good for the trait. But what's the Focus?"

**Focus**  
**Focus is exactly that: a focus for your path in life. Focus determines the type, number, and quality of daily quests and epic quests who receive.**  
**For example, a human who chose the Seduction (unavailable at the moment) Focus will be given daily quest to increase his reputation with the opposite gender with reward EXP depending on the number of women he "seduces." His epic quest will be along the lines of having a harem.**

"So focus would determine what kind of actions I would be guided to take, eh?" Naruto muttered out loud. "Okay, let's see my list of focuses... Learning, Experimenting, Hunting, Leadership, Friendship, and Growing. I wonder which one I will benefit the most from..."

While unknown to the man himself, the traits that he took earlier was already working its way through his logic processing. Already, his mind had shifted from his previous mindset to another that accommodated the changes in himself. His Ambitious trait clashed with his Content trait, sparking inner debate, while his cynical and depressed trait steered him from wanting to take the Friendship focus. At the same time, his Quick and Genius traits were working in synergy to have his determine that for his current status, taking the Growing focus seemed to be the best choice for him.

In the end, Naruto took the Growing focus.

**[Character Creation Complete!]**

And then he was back to facing the old imp.

* * *

**And there. That's the start of a new story, one where the entire world and its system are different. It was inspired by the Re:Monster manga, and I am linking it to Naruto through my other story, Gamer of Konoha, particularly the chapter where Naruto _dies_. Only, in this story, he gets "respawned" in a different world as a different species. Kind of like Buddhism's reincarnations. You can douche as a human, but in the next life, you'll be a worm, literally.**

**But does Naruto stay as an _Imp_ of all things? No...! Life evolves, and so will he.**

**Oh, and as I said in the beginning, there will be a lot of D&amp;D creatures that will be used here.**

**Tell me what you guys think about it, and if I get some decent amount of demand from the community, I'll continue this. Ciao.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Day 5 (Continuing from last chapter):**

* * *

His eyes blinked involuntarily as a white flash stunned and left him alone with the old imp. He blinked again and again in mild irritation before the whiteness went away.

Naruto faced the old imp, and narrowed his eyes. "Please don't tell me those girls in the back are food."

The imp's face scrunched up before he looked horrified by the very notion. "No! No, no, no!"

"Oh good."

"Those our prisoners."

Naruto did a double take.

* * *

Imp Sou, having learned his name a day ago now knew what to call himself, woke up rather groggily. There were shouts vibrating within the cave sanctuary they were in, and they woke him up.

He rubbed his blurry eyes, and looked around.

The cave, despite being barely lit, was well lit enough for him, a imp, a creature used to the darkness of the night ... and caves. So when he looked around, his eyes locked on to Old Imp and the Odd Imp. It seemed like Odd Imp had some issues with the Old Imp, and the old Imp calmly replied back. Was Odd Imp asking the Old Imp some questions?

He grumbled a bit before going back to sleep with his fingers in his ears.

Stupid Odd Imp.

* * *

Naruto grumbled, because he was ... unhappy.

There was a good reason for his unhappiness, and it had to do with the Old Imp.

The Old Imp explained that he was a caretaker of sort, grooming the young, newborn imps. When asked what he was to teach the young imps, the Old Imp ran his mouth on a lecture about everything and anything his ears took as a question ... which was everything. Hell, he seemed to enjoy talking others to death.

Naruto realized by the end of the lecture exactly why the Old Imp had been "chosen" to teach the younger generations.

At the same time, the "lecture" was informative. The Old Imp talked about the surrounding landscapes, its inhabitants, and food that he and other younger imps could try a hand in.

The most important aspect of this world was its diversity. Imps were part of a group of creatures called "sentients," which refer to mortal, fleshlings capable of higher thought processes like ideas, love, and magic. Yes, apparently, magic was a sign of higher thinking process. 'Anything that can use magic can think,' the Old Imp had said. Right off the bat, the Old Imp talked about some of the species that must be avoided. Dragons, elves, orcs, demons, and ...

Humans.

Yes, once more, apparently, the humans were the most dangerous of the entire lot for the single fact that they had the characteristics of the supreme evil and most saintly good.

They were a 100% unpredictable, mostly cruel, many time smart, sometimes dumb, and rarely kind.

Orcs and elves. Polar opposites. Evil and good, cruel and nice. Of course, Naruto didn't believe that every single orcs were evil, or every single elves were good. The analogy held, though, after hearing about some of the things he heard about them.

Now, when Naruto heard there were demons, he was somewhat excited. It had been days since he realized that Kyuubi was no longer with him, leaving him truly alone. His excitement was further rose when he heard that most of the demons were strong. He was excited to fight them! When he mentioned that to the Old Imp, all he got in return was another long lecture/scolding about _why _an imp should never fight a demon, even if it was considered one of the demonkind itself.

That was another point.

Uzumaki Naruto, formerly of the human race in the lands of Elemental Nation, the boy who was accused of being Kyuubi at few points, and a ninja who became a one man army, was a demon.

It was an irony Naruto couldn't quite get the full grasp on.

The most confusing part about the lecture, however, was the "growth system."

"You may be an imp now," the Old Imp had said. "But as you grow stronger, you will change not only in mind but also in body and soul."

Which started off another bloody lecture.

The Growth System was an established "law of nature" that allows a strong enough creature to evolve. For example, a insignificant garden lizard can become strong enough to become a pygmy alligator, then a true alligator. If the alligator becomes strong enough, it can become even a minor dragon.

In Naruto's own case as an imp, there was a lot of choice for him. The main choices that imps choose to become are succubus(female), incubus(male), and devil.

Succubus and incubus were basically of the same species, and the only difference between them and imps were that they were stronger, faster, smarter, and trickier. That and they also took on a human form. Devils, on the other hand, were completely different from succubus, incubus, and the imps. They had their own evolution tree named the "Devilkin."

They were closer to humans than any of the other devilkins and the demonkins, which is where the imps resided. They took on human aspects like the sins and grew more powerful with each "perversion" they caused. Naruto was not sure if he wanted to become a being that lived to cause perversion.

Because he did not like either of the three, he asked the Old Imp if there were more.

The Old Imp hesitated, but he told Naruto about the rest of the possible creatures that an imp could become. An imp, as a demon-fairy, could choose to cleanse itself of its demon roots to become a pure fairy. However, as fairies are the enemies of demonkind, and since most transformations take place in one's own den, there would be problems ensuing if Naruto chose to go that way. There was also the path of ridding the fairy roots, but that would result in Naruto becoming a Veshta Nerada, a creature of pure darkness. The Old Imp described the creature as something that should not exist yet it does. It devours anything that touches the shadows. Usually, when an imp turns into a Veshta Nerada, it leaves its birth cave alone as it leaves. Nevertheless, even those who evolve fear the Veshta Nerada for their tenacity, indestructibility, and strength.

The Piranhas of the Air.

When asked why imps had such a variety of evolutions that it can evolve into, the Old Imp just shrugged.

"Hell if I know. I never evolved myself."

* * *

**Day 6**

Naruto yawned as he woke up. He blinked sleepily as he looked around. He was still in the cave that he was born in, and he was rather ... hungry.

That reminded him about his newfound goal. He now knew that imps are very weak, and he hated being weak. He promised himself that he would become strong enough to take on groups of human warriors with ease. Why human warriors? He was an imp, creature of chaos. Humans probably didn't like such creatures.

He stood up and walked over to the Old Imp.

"Gramps, where's food?"

The Old Imp looked at him for a second before looking away with a wave of his hand. "It's time you go out and find your own food, Imp Ruto."

Naruto frowned. It was time already?

The Old Imp had told all of the young imps yesterday, once they had all woken up from their long sleep, that today, they would have to go and get their own food.

He had forgotten about that little tidbit.

"Eh," Naruto muttered. "Where would I find food?" He was feeling for some meat today. He had been only eat

The Old Imp scratched his beardless chin. "There are berry bushes to the north, just outside of the cave. I suppose the worm fields to the south would be more challenging since it's a wee bit far off. But that's about it."

"Well, where can I get some meat?"

The Old Imp abruptly burst into laughter. "Y-You getting meat?" Then he went on to laugh some more until he began to cough and ache. He waved Naruto away without even looking at him, going back to whatever he had been doing before. "Don't bother. You're not strong enough to fight the weakest of any creature out there. Don't bother. You'll only get yourself killed."

With that, the conversation ended, and Naruto was left a little betrayed. Having expected to get some meat, he was told to stay away from it, lest he kills himself.

_Ping!_

**Quest!**  
**Desire for meat Pt.1**

**Requirement:**  
**Meat of any kind**

**Quest Success:  
+1 LvL  
+1 HP**

**Quest Failure:**  
**Starvation, permanent -1 HP**

"Wait, what?" he muttered as he looked at the screen.

This was the Gamer screen, where he received events and information. In his past life, he used to hate this screen because of how it taunted him. He came to love it towards the end of his first life, but it had been some experience before then. His confusion, as such, was not in seeing a semi-transparent screen floating in front of him, but the very last statement in the Quest Failure consequences.

"Permanent -1 hp?!" he hissed. "Character Status."

**Naruto [Imp Ruto]**  
**LvL 1**  
**The Gamer**

**HP: 10 (+1.5 Max HP per day until a month old)(+1 HP per hour)**  
**Mana: 100 (+2 per minute)**

**STR: 3**  
**DEX: 6**  
**AGI: 4**  
**END: 3**  
**INT: 10**  
**WIS: 10**  
**CHA: 2  
Unused Points: 5**

**Spirit: 5**  
**Magic: 10**  
**Power: 3**

**Traits Taken:**  
**Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Weak, Cynical, Depressed, Content**

**Focus:**  
**Growing**

"Oh," Naruto muttered. "My health is growing?" he asked himself as he clicked at his own HP.

**HP: 10 (+1.5 per day until a month old****)(+1 HP per hour)**  
**Status:**  
**Child(Imp: Health grows until the character has reached adulthood (+0.5 MAX HP))**  
**Unique Character(All gamers get an advantage in health, as the character is a unique character (+1.0 MAX HP))  
Natural Regeneration (Imps have faster regeneration to survive where their fragile bodies normally would not. (+1 HP per hour regen)**

"So, I get 1.5 HP daily, and if I don't eat meat today, I would losing more than half of that? Now I definitely need to eat some," he said to himself. "But how?" he wondered for a while before turned back to the Old Imp. "Oi, old man!"

The Old Imp looked at him, slightly irritated. "What?"

"What's the weakest thing out there?"

The Old Imp scratched his chin for a second or two before he seemed to have it. "No idea."

* * *

Eventually, Naruto decided to head out on his own. He couldn't get instructions, but he went out on his own to hunt. However, his mind had drifted from his need for meat to other things, like the changes in his Character Status.

For one thing, he didn't see EXP, which was always present. 'Maybe this world doesn't have anything like that?' he thought to himself. 'Magic and Spirit, for instance. They are new. The closest thing to Magic is mana, but I also had that before. I never had Spirit before. I wonder what they are for.'

He could already make some educated guess, though. Spirit probably referred to techniques or abilities related to ... spiritual matters.

Dun... dun... dun~~~!

Yes, very logical. However, there were no indications of how it was related

A sound reached his ear, and his body froze. He slowly turned towards the direction of the sound. There were shrubburies there between the trees.

'Meat.'

With that singular thought in mind, he slowly made his way towards the bushes, keeping his own steps very light and free of sound. When he reached the bushes, he looked over them, and grinned what he saw.

A rabbit. A tiny one as well. Well, tiny from his past perspective. The rabbit was big as he was.

He looked around for something to throw at it, as he doubted his own strength to kill it with his hands. He found a rock, and picked it up.

His arms lurched a bit. 'Damn, I better invest some points into strength later...' he muttered. The rock must be half a kilogram at the max, but it felt much heavier than that.

He lifted it over his head and -!

He paused.

He doubted if his slowly thrown rock could kill the rabbit, if it didn't run away first. Then an idea hit him. He remembered that he could fly! Letting the rock hang from his hands, Naruto slowly rose up, his magic powering his flight.

**New Skill!**  
**Fairy Flight (LvL 1)**  
**You can fly like a fairy!**  
*** -1 Mana per minute  
*****Max Load: 2 kilograms**  
***You will lose this skill if you lose Fairy or Demonic Origin**

Naruto dismissed the screen with his eyes as he slowly flew overhead and directly on top of the rabbit.

And he let go.

_Squeeeekkk!_

Naruto's lips split sideways.

Lunch time~

* * *

It took about an hour for Naruto to take the rabbit apart for its meat. He had somehow removed a large portion of its fur for his later use. 'You never know when you can get something, so gather it when I can,' he thought to himself. He wiped the blood from his lips as he finished the last portion of his meat. There was no way he could eat the entire rabbit...

_Ping!_

**Quest: Desire for Meat Pt.1 **  
**Success!**

**+1 LvL!**  
**+1 HP!**

**Genius Trait gives +1 HP!**

Naruto grinned, feeling himself grow stronger. But ...

Something was wrong.

"Character Status."

The screen popped up... and he saw what was wrong.

He didn't gain any more status points.

_Ping!_

**Your activities before your LvLing has determined your Status!**

Oh, so that's how it worked this time?

**+1 Strength**  
**+1 Magic**  
**+1 Endurance**  
**+1 Wisdom**  
**+1 Intellect**  
**+1 HP**

**Genius Trait has given you extra Status points!**

"... You know what? I got more points. I don't even care," he said to himself with a grin. Then he turned his attention back to the rabbit after dismissing the screens and the notices. "Now, what am I going to do with the rest of this?"

A sound reached his ear.

_Ping!_

**New Skill!**  
**Listening (LvL 1)**  
**You can listen! Much Surprise.**  
***+10 meters to clear hearing range**  
***+5 meters to whispering hearing range**  
***Any action that removes auditory organs removes this skill.**

"Who's there?" he asked with a growl.

_Ping!_

**New Skill!**  
**Intimidation (LvL 1)**  
**You can scare others! 'Fear me, mortals!'**  
***(Self-LvL/Target-LvL)% x 1.0 chance of causing Caution**  
***(Self-LvL/Target-LvL)% x 0.5 chance of causing Fear**  
***If your form changes into something cute or adorable, you will lose this skill.**  
***If your form changes into something fearsome, multiply Intimidation chance by x2.**

**Target Cautious!**  
**Target Feared!**

Slowly, a imp tinier than he stepped out of the very bushes where he had first intended to throw his rock.

"U-Uh..."

It was imp from his own enclave. "What do you want?" he asked it as he wrapped the now dry blooded fur around his shoulder.

"C-Can I-?"

_Grrrrr..._

Naruto and the newcomer blinked before Naruto let out a short high-pitched laugh. "Guess your stomach has faster mouth than you do, eh? Go ahead, I already had my fill," he said and with that, he walked out of the spot.

_Ping!_

**Your cool attitude has increased your Charisma**  
**+1 CHA**

**Genius Trait has given you +1 CHA.**

Naruto went back to the enclave cackling, "Nicey Nicey."

* * *

**And there is the second chapter to this story. Tell me what you guys think about the story so far, and hope to update soon. :D**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 6**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto]**  
**LvL 2**  
**The Gamer**

**HP: 15.5 (+1.5 Max HP per day until a month old)(+1 HP per hour regen)**  
**Mana: 120 (+2.4 per minute regen)**

**STR: 5**  
**DEX: 6**  
**AGI: 4**  
**END: 5**  
**INT: 12**  
**WIS: 12**  
**CHA: 4  
Unused Points: 10**

**Spirit: 5**  
**Magic: 12**  
**Power: 3**

**Traits Taken:**  
**Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Weak, Cynical, Depressed, Content**

**Focus:**  
**Growing**

**Skills:  
Fairy Flight (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 1)  
Intimidation (LvL 1)**

* * *

**Updated on 5/26/2015  
Genius bonus status points were forgotten. Now fixed.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey again, guys, Slender's Father/Akallas here. **

**So here are some updates/news on not just this story but everything I do in (Written 5/1/13/2015):**

**1) This story: I updated chapter 2 to reflect the Genius trait, because I forgot about it. :D**

**2) This story: Thanks guys for all the reviews and suggestions. I got few decent suggestions for Naruto's end evolution.**

**3) Gamer of Konoha: I will keep on updating, but priority has shifted from that story to this story until I get some of my muse back. I believe I have a 3k word chapter waiting (w/o AN) to finish, but let's see how that muse comes and goes.**

**4) True Immortals: I'm going to update this guy soon! :D**

* * *

**Day 7:**

The day after his successful hunt was also another successful day. He used the same tactics as last time to hunt down a rabbit for its meat. Unfortunately for Naruto, the said process took him over five hours because that's how long it required of him to find a rabbit. Still, he found two in the end, and he LvLed Up once.

There hadn't been a quest for meat, despite the "Pt. 1" portion of the quest's name. He still ate meat, because he didn't want to go around the entire forest digging up _worms _for food. He didn't even want to know what worms tasted like. Neither was he interested in the very sour berries that the Old Imp had pointed out.

* * *

Naruto had caught the attention of every single imp in the enclave. Hunting as a newborn imp was unheard of; there had never been such event before. He himself did not know this. He was too busy focusing on his own growth to even care about others. It was his "Content" trait taking effect on him. Normally, social animals like humans and imps would look around to see how they were in standing with others. Naruto, however, was "content" with just helping himself.

"Hey, you."

Naruto stopped and turned around to face a group of five imps. "Yes...?" he asked a bit hesitantly even as he ran [Observe] on them. It was a useful skill that he had regained yesterday as he ate his first kill. It allowed him to basically visually "dissect" someone, depending on the his level and skill level. Currently, the skill was only at LvL 2, which allowed him to see his target's LvL and HP at most.

What he saw in front of him did not impress him all that much.

**Imp Navi**  
**LvL 1**

**Imp Ban**  
**LvL 1**

**Imp York**  
**LvL 1**

"Today, if you don't get us meat, you're going to get hurt."

Naruto stared at the three generic imp in front of him acting like a group of human thugs. Then he let out a short bark of laugh before he scoffed at them, mildly annoying them. "Ha! So funny. Who dared you to say that?" he asked.

Imp Navi growled at him. "Don't you get it? No one likes you, you little punk."

Naruto paused for a second before he sat down where he was standing. "No one likes me..." he muttered as his Depressed mood set in. 'Ugh, why do I feel so bad for a comment...'

The imps just looked at the depressed one in front of them in confusion, and felt slightly guilty.

"Uh.. you okay?"

"No. Everyone hates me..." Naruto just muttered in reply, but the depressed vibe coming from him was quite clear.

Even from across the cave. Slowly, everyone's attention was drawn towards the quartet, and whispers broke out.

Ban, Navi, and York sweatdropped as whispers about them being bullies broke. Oh sure, they intended to bully Ruto, but not like this! This was way worse!

When the trio turned their attention back to Ruto to keep him quiet, the boy-imp was already gone.

"Huh?"

* * *

Naruto had felt too depressed to stay in the cave, so he had come out, even if it was in the dusk. He felt better as he watched the sun set while he kept himself sitting on the treetops.

Despite gremlinkind's natural affinity to night, imps avoided the open night. There were dangers in the forests around the cave enclave that would feast upon the imps with ease. One good example that Naruto himself had run into was a wolf. Apparently, wolves liked to eat imps.

He looked at his own level.

**Naruto [Imp Ruto]**  
**LvL 3**  
**The Gamer**

It was ridiculously easy to level up early on, and he was going to take every advantatge of that, even if he had to hunt at night.

Now, what did hunting at night have to do with taking advantage?

Well...

Nights are dangerous, yes? It's dangerous because there are animals and creatures stronger than imps. Which means that there is a high LvL difference.

Which means if he even hits one creature before its death, he will get his percentage share of the EXP.

Which means during the night when monsters are on a slaughterfest. The only thing he would have to do is hit them hard enough once before they die. Easy EXP and easy LvL.

Naruto cackled.

Oh sweet night, oh sweet night. I wonder what heads will roll~.

But first...

He started to float up slowly, his eyes watching the forest with the sharpness of an eagle.

He would have to find one such carnage, no?

Logically, water sources like streams, rivers, and lakes would be the most ideal place to see simply because every single creature alive needs water. 'I think,' he thought to himself. Usually, animals like deers and rabbits, which were plenty in this forest, slept during the day, which made their predators less likely to come out.

'That line of thought doesn't help me at all,' he intoned once more as he headed towards the waters. 'What animal needs to drink but is awake at night-?'

Bears.

Motherfucking bears. Brown bears were awake at night, but _black _bears? Those giant assholes roamed day _and _night whenever they pleased. On top of being giant assholes who eat a deer whole, they were highly territorial. Whether it be a pack of wolves or another bear, a black bear will bring down its entire might with a ferocity to match a rampaging berserk.

And they were rare because of such reasons.

Probably not the one he should be going after.

He flew around until he found a river, and let himself down onto a large tree's thick branch.

'What else moves in the night?'

"Hey, set up the trap here."

Naruto blinked, and looked around in confusion. Was there another imp around him? No...

He looked down.

There. At the bottom of the very tree that he was perched on was a group of humans. They were dressed in leather and fur, wielding bows and cutlasses. They had several bags filled with odd equipment as well. And after connecting the dots, Naruto realized that these humans were hunters.

But why hunt in the night?

He observed them.

**Human Hunter**  
**LvL 8**

**Human Hunter**  
**LvL 9**

**Human Hunter**  
**LvL 11**

Nothing unusual, just regular old humans. So what were they hunting? Or trapping?

They opened up their bags, and began to pull out their tools of trade. Bear traps, ropes, bamboos(?), and so much more.

They dug few holes just outside the sandy shore of the river. One shoveled out while another placed spikes in their place. Once the spike placing was done, the third one came and covered it up with convincingly looking cover.

Naruto watched them make traps all over the river area, and slowly, his lips broke out into a grin.

Oh hell yes... He could use this.

With that, he flew away.

* * *

It wasn't long before the hunters were exhausted of their tools and trap materials, they left the forest.

Naruto, on the other hand, returned ... with animals trying to kill him. The closest one to him was a pack of wolves, who Naruto interrupted their meal by pissing in front of them.

The animal following the wolves was a bear, which had been pissed off by the wolves when it interrupted its hibernation.

Naruto weaved through the lower branches of the trees as the wolves leapt over them. The bear just crushed through any and all resistance including trees, shrubs, and any other animals that crossed its path. He dove over a large root, one the wolves leapt over. The bear just tackled it to splinters.

Just being part of this chase felt exhilarating! His heart pumped with vigor and his ears drummed up along with his heart. This was quite a new experience, even for someone who has died before. He had been chased by an equal before, someone that he could take on. But these wolves and particularly the bear in the back? There was no way for him to win them whatsoever. Being caught by either one of them right now meant certain death.

And it felt good!

His pulses rocketed as he dove underneath a tree branch, only to come face to face with a thick tree trunk. He sneered (read squeaked)* as he put all his effort into turning. He steered just in time to avoid getting his face smashed in, but a loose bark left a long gash on the side of his face.

The wolves fared better with their four legs, using the tree trunk that would've been his death as a corner to jump off from towards him.

The bear did not. He pounded through the tree, and both sides lost track of each other.

Well, wolves didn't care at all. They just kept chasing. To them, Imp Ruto was just out of their reach; too tantalizing and within their grasp to give up, and too much effort had been put into just giving up without more.

The leading wolf, an alpha male, jumped over a stream, and tripped over a rope.

Naruto cackled as the first trap went off.

The alpha and the two wolves right behind the alpha were caught in a rope net trap.

**+One Wolf Alpha defeated!  
+Two Wolf(s) defeated!**  
**LvL Up!  
Details Here**

Naruto cackled, but quickly growled (read squawked) as the rest of the wolf pack came after him. And he ran like a bitch to the next trap.

**-W-**

The wolves were admittedly pissed as hell. Not only did this small imp interrupt their meal in one of the most rudest way possible, it got their pack's alpha and two other members caught up in a _human _trap. Did it even know what those humans did to any of the forest denizens caught in their traps? How they would kill them and skin them? Not even eating them?

Two of the pack stayed with the three trapped members, attempting to get them down.

The rest of the pack, consisting of four wolves, sped on to catch the imp.

The alpha of the wolf pack, on the other hand, was infuriated. It didn't understand nor know exactly why that imp was doing what it was doing. This was not the first time he had seen imps play tricks on other forest denizens for their entertainment. But to use human traps?

That just crossed the line.

**-W-**

Naruto, on the other hand, just kept running and flying. He could see the river through the gaps between the trees.

That was when the wolves ran into a spike trap, and all four of them fell through. There were yelps and howls before it fell silent.

He stopped running away, and gasped for air. He looked down from the ground to the bottom of the spike pit, and saw the dead and dying bodies of the four wolves.

**+Four Wolf(s) slain  
LvL Up!  
Details Here**

With a sigh of relief, he fell backward, and landed on his bottom.

"Okay," he muttered to himself between his gasp for air. "Maybe ...doing this ...night hunting thing... is not a good idea." Then he looked over his own status, and noticed the less than half filled mana bar. "I flew a lot today, didn't I?" Fairy Flying, the skill that allowed me to fly, drained mana at 1 per minute. Considering that he had about 120 mana and that there was now less than half, counting in the mana regeneration, he had been flying for more than a good hour and half.

**Fairy Flying LvL up!**  
**+Mana cost reduced by half!**  
**+Increased max load by one kilogram!**

Naruto chuckled. "Oh yeah, look at that," he said, but even as he celebrated his victory over the wolves, his body was complaining about his latest expedition. Then he turned his attention to the two [LvL Up : Details Here] floating in front of him. He floated up on the nearest tree's branch for safety's sake, and opened them up.

**You have LvLed Up to LvL 5!**  
**Your activities leading before your LvLing have determined your Status!**  
**+2 Dexterity**  
**+1 Agility**  
**+1 Endurance**  
**+1 Intelligence**

**You have LvLed Up to LvL 6!**  
**Your activities leading before your LvLing have determined your Status!**  
**+1 Agility**  
**+2 Endurance**  
**+2 Intelligence**  
**+1 Wisdom**

**Genius trait has given you extra status points!**

The changes in his status made Naruto very happy. While he was unhappy that he could not distribute the points how he wanted to, the widespread allocation of the points, and more than 5 points per level, were serving him well. If they haven't, they were sure to from here on out. Hell, Naruto was sure that the previous few LvL Up's helped already with the points dumped into endurance.

"Ugh, I'm sleepy..." he muttered.

**Status: Sleepy**  
**You have expended more energy than you are used to. You have 25% more chance of falling asleep per quarter hour.**  
**Current Total Sleep Chance: 100%.**

"Well, shit."

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 7**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto]**  
**LvL 6**  
**The Gamer**

**HP: 18.0 (+1.5 Max HP per day until a month old)(+1 HP per hour regen)**  
**Mana: 330 (+2.4 per minute regen)**

**STR: 6**  
**DEX: 8**  
**AGI: 8**  
**END: 8**  
**INT: 17**  
**WIS: 16**  
**CHA: 4  
Unused Points: 21**

**Spirit: 5**  
**Magic: 12**  
**Power: 3**

**Traits Taken:**  
**Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Weak, Cynical, Depressed, Content**

**Focus:**  
**Growing**

**Skills:  
Fairy Flight (LvL 2)  
Listening (LvL 1)  
Intimidation (LvL 1)**

* * *

**Now you may be asking, there is a LvL difference. Remember the beginning of this chapter? NAruto LvLed Up hunting rabbits. That's where it comes from.**


	4. Chapter 4

**So an interesting fact that you guys may want to know about this story and the Gamer of Konoha.**

**Many times, you come across % or chance events where some of Naruto's skill require a dice roll of sort.**

**You may also want to now that whenever I WRITE such events, I am rolling a dice... or sort. Originally, I wanted to use the d20 system for the rolls, but I decided that % is much better because I can go deep into decimals using computers.**

**As such, some of the events that you see are not intended on my part to become that way. **

**For example (SPOILER for this chapter), I intended Naruto to _not _discourage his student, but he ends up doing so because ... my computer rolled a 4+50% chance of discouraging, which led me to another "dice" to flip with that percentage ... and the student got discouraged. Sure, I didn't have to make the event in the first place, but one of Naruto's trait is [Cynical], and being a cynic tends to discourage or enrage others.**

**This means that my stories will no longer be ... based on my imagination alone. I will be forced to right along -however small or big- with the changes brought upon by my "dices." If you guys want me to show the "dice rolls" to be shown in the story itself, send me pm or send reviews telling me to do so.**

* * *

**Day 8:**

* * *

Naruto woke up groggily. Having slept in the warm caves until today, he was not used to sleeping outside and in the cold. He floated down softly before letting out the wastes in a happy arc.

"Ah..." he sighed in relief.

Morning piss.

Such a wonderful feeling.

His ears perked up as he heard shuffling feet approaching his location. He quickly flew back up the tree.

"Probably the hunters," he muttered. "They did set up the trap early in the night."

The hunters cheered as they saw the wolves that were killed by the spike trap, but other than that, they didn't seem to find anything else.

"So those wolves must've escaped," he muttered, thinking about the alpha and the two other wolves that had been caught in the rope net trap. He watched the hunters leave, taking their spoils with them.

After they left, Naruto jumped back down and stretched his stiff limbs. "Oohh~... That hits the spot. I guess it's time to go back to the enclave," he said to himself. He took a look around once before he flew away.

* * *

When he came back, though, everyone stared at him as if he had done something incredulous.

He looked around sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he made his way through towards his usual spot. 'Did I do something wrong?' he thought to himself as he moved sluggishly. He was still tired from his nightly expedition, and so he had to slowly move his way towards his destination while laboring underneath the stares of many others who were whispering.

His [Listening] was good enough to make out most of the whispers were of shock and awe for reasons he did not yet know.

It was then that the Old Imp approached him.

* * *

The other imps were ... shocked and in awe of Imp Ruto.

Last night had been the the most terrifying nights for the entire imp population of the forest.

There were deaths everywhere the night before. Cries of animals had rung clearly in the night as they mourned for their lost brethren. Wolves howled for theirs killed by human traps. A bear was on a rampage, destroying multiple nests of various creatures of the forest in its wake. Just this morning, less than an hour before Ruto came back, survivors from other imp colonies came in search of refuge. The stories they told of how a bear had broken through the Thin Rock enclave and decimated the imps there with no remorse whatsoever. The survivors swore when questioned that they were the only ones to survive from the Thin Rock enclave.

The story terrified many of the imps of this enclave.

And just after all those stories were heard by all of the imps walks in Imp Ruto, looking only slightly ruffled.

Speculations as to how Ruto had survived the night rose.

The first whispers talked about how he may have hidden among the treetops. Another set of whispers debunked the first by stating the bear's rampage would not have spared a little tree. And as rumors do, they twisted and changed with each mouth and ear they passed through. In the end, the only thing left was the "obvious" answer.

Imp Ruto must have killed the bear's mate and killed the wolves.

When the Old Imp heard about the rumors, he immediately dismissed them. While he may have been the first to admit that Imp Ruto was different from the rest of them, there was no way a week old imp could kill a bear or kill more than one wolf. He simply refused to believe the nonsense. It couldn't be more than just that as well: a rumor. A rumor that had gone wild when he was too busy taking care of the newcomers.

Then Imp Ruto came back looking stronger than ever.

A seed of doubt sprung within the Old Imp, but there was worry as well. Was Imp Ruto hurt?

So he approached the said imp in the hopes to know more.

* * *

"Ruto."

Naruto stopped scratching the ground depressedly and looked up. "Oh. Hi, Old Imp."

The Old Imp had a frown on his face. "Where were you yesterday? We were worried sick."

"..." he looked away. "I slept outside."

"But why? The caves are warm and safe from danger. The outside is dangerous."

"I know."

"You ... know?"

Naruto shrugged. "I ran into a bear and some wolves last night," he said, not explicitly stating what he had done. It wasn't like he and the rest of the imps were going to believe that he used human traps to kill wolves and managed to piss of a bear, right?

The Old Imp, on the other hand, looked thunderously shocked. "Y-You ran into a bear?! How did you survive?!" he shouted as he took Ruto by his shoulders and shook him.

Naruto was surprised by the Old Imp's strength. Well, that was probably Naruto himself was weak thanks to the trait he took ... now he felt depressed again, thinking about himself being weird and awkward.

"I just floated away. That's all I did. Nothing fancy..." he muttered, which made the Old Imp let go.

"...How did you fly in the first place?"

Naruto paused, and looked up.

"You don't know how to fly?"

* * *

That started what Naruto called the "Flying Frenzy." After the rest of the imps learned that Naruto could fly, they pestered him until he agreed to teach them how to fly.

Initially, it was hard -and very close to impossible. Naruto's whole power revolved around learning, not teaching. The best thing he could do was teach how he come to fly himself.

"Imagine a pool of ... stuff inside you. Ever flowing and never stopping. Imagine this power wrapping around you like a cocoon. Then let it 'sprout' wings. Once it does, use those 'wings' to fly."

"That's a very vague description of how this is supposed to work," the imp in front of Naruto muttered. This was the same imp that had appraoched Naruto after his first rabbit kill.

Naruto shrugged. "That's more than what I had to work with when I first started flying," he replied. "Come on, then. Let's see you fly."

The imp grunted before it closed its eyes. It breathed in and out slowly.

He observed. Thank the gods that his [Observe] was now at a all high of 10. It now allowed him to see mana. Without this level of [Observe], it would have been much harder -but not impossible- to teach the rest of the imps how to fly.

He could "see" or rather feel the fairy-demonic power of the imp slowly rising out of the skin, forming a shell that hung tightly around itself. It must be getting an image of sort in its head about how its mana was surrounding it, because it was looking confused and somewhat awed. Then slowly, even more slowly than the minute long skin-shell formation, several wires of sort sprung out of the shell ... and the imp began to float.

It opened its eyes, and let out a squeal.

Naruto nodded in approval. "Good, now try t-"

Thunk.

And it fell down.

It flew up too fast and struck the cave ceiling. "And there you go, being an idiot. Don't just pump your mana into flying. You just don't have the necessary controls for something like that."

Ping.

**New Skill!**  
**Talking Down (LvL 1) (Passive)**  
***Have (your CHA*INT - target's CHA)% + (EVENT_ROLL_OUT_OF_100*0.5)% of discouraging the target.**  
***Discouraged target(s) get "Discouraged" debuff, reducing all of their status by (your CHA*3 - target's CHA)**  
***Available only to Cynical traits; if you lose the Cynical trait, this skill has 40% chance of disappearing and resets itself.**

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that. As interesting as this new skill was, he had no intention of discouraging his current student. He watched the imp slowly get up and pout. He just scoffed at the imp's lack of a backbone after a such small comment. "Get up and try again before I lose interest."

It sniffled a little but it did as Naruto told it to.

* * *

"Do this... and maybe..."

* * *

"No no no, you don't make wings first, you make the cocoon first. No, you idiot!"

* * *

"Please for the love of god..."

* * *

"Oh, good work."

* * *

He walked out of the cave, and slowly let himself down on the top of the small hill of the colony. Then he abruptly flopped over on his back.

Today had been exhausting. Teaching was ... hard.

"Damn, you sure had it tough with a kid like me, Iruka-sensei," he muttered to himself.

**New Trait!**  
**[Teacher (Neutral)**  
**"You have understood the art of information dissemination, but how good are you?" -?**  
**+5 CHA "teacher" modifier when teaching**  
**+5 CHA "Mentor" modifier towards an individual when first introduced as a teacher**  
**-Dangerous along with [Depressed] trait when students are unruly**  
**-01000011 01100001 01101110 00100000 01100010 01100101 00100000 01000011 01101111 01110010 01110010 01110101 01110000 01110100 01100101 01100100**

**New Skill!**  
**Teaching LvL 1**  
**\+ (Your INT*CHA - target's INT*STR[if below half of your INT])% of disseminating an idea or skill to your target.**

...

What the fuck was that last aspect on the trait?

**LvL Up!**  
**+2 INT**  
**+2 WIS**  
**+2 CHA  
**

**Genius trait has given you extra points!**

"...Eh."

* * *

Naruto had decided to simply forget about the new trait, though he was worried about its only legible negative aspect, and went back inside to get some sleep.

That was when he met the Old Imp along with his first student waiting at the mouth of the cave.

"Oh, so you didn't run off," the Old Imp commented. "I was sure that a youngster with brains like you would've run off already."

Naurto scoffed at that. "You sound like you don't want me here."

"I don't."

There was a moment of pause between the three of them before Naruto slowly sank down. "Okay..." he muttered as he wrote gibberish in the ground in depression. 'Fuck this depression...'

"That was a joke."

A vein popped up on Naruto's forehead.

"But we were wondering if you were going to indeed be out for the night again."

Naruto shook his head. "No, not today. I spent a lot of energy inside. Although I am a little hungry..."

Just then, the small imp ran back into the cave, much to the two others' confusion, and brought back a ... meat covered in leaf?

"I kept it washed. Used a bit of honey to keep it preserved."

Naruto thanked the imp. "Now, let's go get some sleep. I know I'm ready for some time off."

* * *

**Day 9:**

Naruto grumbled as his empty stomach woke him up rather abruptly. It was time to hunt and eat ... but he didn't want to do that.

_Ping!_

**You have fully rested! Stress LvL has gone down due to special event. HP fully restored.**

Well, that's nice. 'I wonder if today's going to be hectic as the other two,' he thought to himself as he rose up and stretched out his limbs. There was a pop and then another before he felt his whole body slack in relaxation. "Aw, yeah. That's the spot," he muttered to himself, and he flopped back down on the hay-covered spot he called his bed.

Just then, his stomach growled.

He scratched the back of his head as he stood up. "Okay, time to go hunting."

"Wait."

Naruto stopped and looked over his back.

There, the same imp that he had first taught how to fly and gave a piece of leftover meat. He shrugged. "Well?"

"Take me with you."

"You sure about that?"

* * *

**Imp *** POV**

I needed to get strong. The seventh day after my birth, or so I was told that it was, I went out into the world to explore. I first thought that the world was going to be awesome! The Old Imp talked about the kind elves and while different but still nice fairies!

Then I saw ... a murder. It was a human with a struggling fairy in his hand. With a evil grin, he ripped the fairy's wings off, talking about the wings being some kind of an ingrediant, and left the fairy to die. I tried to help, but the fairy still died anyway.

I don't want other nice creatures like fairies and us imps to be hurt by those humans. I wanted to get strong. No, I needed to get strong. I would protect this forest from them!

On the same day, I ran into someone who was strong, despite his size.

Imp Ruto. He was different. He looked weak, but he was able to fly and lift stones. He even killed a rabbit!

It was amazing, so I ended up stalking him and got caught. But for some reason, he just freaked me out and left the rest of the meat for me, which I ate.

Then, the day after, he came back after the bear rampage. Despite his claims, he looked stronger, more self-assured. It was the reason why I decided to follow him around, even if I have to sneak around behind him. I wanted to be strong like him.

No, I will become stronger!

* * *

"Yes."

Naruto just shrugged. "Alright, then let's go. We'll be hunting rabbits again today, but I expect you to catch at least one yourself."

The smaller imp nodded. "Got it."

"Good."

By the end of the day, Naruto and his follower imp caught two rabbits each, and had a feast to themselves.

* * *

**Day 10:**

Naruto woke up with a yawn, and saw that his follower imp was still there. "You know, I never got to ask you your name."

"... I'm Imp Shirou."

"And I'm Imp Ruto, but you already know that."

"...Are we hunting again?"

"Yup," Naruto grinned. "But today, we're gonna go for something bigger!"

* * *

**Day 11:**

"Let's not hunt something bigger today."

"Why not? We only almost lost my head yesterday."

* * *

**Day 12:**

"See? Just hunting rabbit is good enough!"

"But I need to complete my quest."

* * *

**Day 14:**

"I respected you, Ruto, but now I hate you!"

"Don't say that! This is fun!"

"Fuck you too! I don't find running from wolves any more 'fun' than eating their shit!"

* * *

**Day 17:**

"No, Shirou. You can't keep those swords."

"But they're awesome!"

"And what happens if the human owner comes back from his hunt and finds it missing? There are no fairies in this forest, you know. He'll try to find us for it. You do realize that it probably is not a good thing."

* * *

**Day 20:**

Naruto had to admit. In the span of two weeks and then some, Imp Shirou had seen some personality changes.

For example, he used to be shy, timid, and stalkerish. He imitated Naruto and tried to improve himself everyday. He tried to appear as confident as others told Naruto seemed to be like. From Naruto's perspective, it was the whole of gremlinkind -imps and the like- that had confidence issue, not him who had overabundance of it.

Now, though, Imp Shirou was nothing like that anymore. His imitation of Naruto had died a little, but he was no longer timid and shy, nor was he a stalker. He stated what was on his mind when it seemed appropriate, and had a sense of self that grew bigger each day. "No, I don't want to go on another round of 'wolf chase.' Remember last time? No, I'm not going just because you asked me."

Naruto couldn't be more proud of Imp Shirou.

Imp Shirou, on the other hand, seemed to be very upset with himself.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked Shirou as they returned from their latest successful hunt by the lakeside. They had caught seven fishes between them, even one that outweighed both of them combined. Despite such achievement, Shirou seemed to be down.

"I don't get it. I want to move up the growth system, but I can't evolve at all. I roamed with you, facing dangers, hunting down stuff, and I still can't move up."

Naruto blinked as he realized that he himself had not. He had forgotten about it in his adventure around the forest with Imp Shirou.

"Huh," he muttered to himself as he realized the fact.

**Ping!**  
**New Quest!**

**To become More (Growth Focus Storyline Part 1)**

**You have realized that while your current lifestyle may not be bad, it can be worse if laid in the path of destruction. It cannot be protected, and it certainly cannot be continued as you now know this. For this reason, you must become more than what you are. **

**Requirement:**  
***Reach the LvL of 20 before you are 30 days of age.**  
***Gain at least a total of 25 point worth of status for each aspect. (Total: 34, 37, 35, 36, 56, 48, 33, 31, 38, 29)**  
***Do not die**

**Bonus Objective:**  
***Ambitious - gain at least 30 point worth of status for each aspect.**

**Success:**  
**+1 LvL**  
**+10 HP**  
**+5 to all status aspect**  
**+Removal of [Weak] trait**

**Failure:**  
***Depression-Suicide activation: 50% suicide success**

Naruto paled.

Wut? Suicide?

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 20**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto]**  
**LvL 12**  
**The Gamer**

**HP: 46.5 (+1.5 Max HP per day until a month old)(+1 HP per hour regen)**  
**Mana: 440 (+4.4 per minute regen)**

**STR: 9**  
**DEX: 12**  
**AGI: 10**  
**END: 11**  
**INT: 21**  
**WIS: 23**  
**CHA: 8  
Unused Points: 27**

**Spirit: 6**  
**Magic: 13**  
**Power: 4**

**Traits Taken:**  
**Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Weak, Cynical, Depressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral]**

**Focus:**  
**Growing**

**Skills:  
Baiting (LvL 2)  
Fairy Flying (LvL 5)  
Fishing (LvL 2)  
Intimidation (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 2)  
Rock Throwing (LvL**


	5. Chapter 5

**Day 21:**

Naruto woke up quickly on his twenty-first day of life. He had to.

After all, he had received a quest yesterday.

Truth be told, though, Naruto did not like his current quest, because if he failed it, he would be given a 50% of suicide thanks to his Depression trait.

...

He fucking regretted taking that trait now.

Regardless, he was nervous and ready to grind his way to the top once more.

Shirou, who just woke up, looked at Naruto confusedly. Unlike Naruto, Shirou was a regular resident of this world. So while he may have the LvL system and the Growth System to recognize and deal with, he did not have the pesky Gamer ability to constantly remind him of how different he was.

Naruto considered that lucky.

He scoffed.

Who was he fooling? While he was constantly irritated by the Gamer power, he benefited from it too much. His progress had to be given to him only thanks to his Gamer power.

Now, he had to get more LvL to prevent his suicide, and he knew three ways to give himself levels.

First, traps would passively give him LvLs as they catch unwary animals.

Second, he would have to actively go out and hunt as well.

Third, and the most thrilling yet draining, he would have to continue his nightly "runs" to get more of his heavy experience.

So he began to plan further, and began to act.

* * *

**Day 22:**

"Crap, crap, crap~!" he shouted as he weaved around the tree trunks.

Remember the bear that he lost the other day?

Yeah, it was now chasing him.

The day before, Ruto, as he had decided to call himself now instead of Naruto, he had set up traps all around the imp enclave that he stayed in. They were large enough and placed in places where most imps would avoid it with ease. Larger animals, on the other hand, would have a hard time. Then after that he had gone to hunt. He caught a few rabbits before he went on his nightly run.

And then he came across this godforsaken bear.

For the last nine forsaken hours, the bear chased him across the entire forest as he led it in circles.

"You are not a normal bear!" Ruto shouted at the monstrocity behind him as he dodged a tree trunk, only to watch it get torn up by the roots a few seconds later. "Stay the hell away from me, god damn it!"

Now, this was a good thing for Ruto. If he manages to get the bear into several of his traps and kill it, then he would receive so much EXP in return. The problem, though, was that the bear was simply to strong for any one trap to work-.

He che'd.

He didn't want to use it, but there was only trap he could use it on the bear.

He flew through the forest as fast as possible.

He raced towards his trump card, not willing to let himself die to a bear of all things.

The bear was right behind him, raging through the forest as it tossed aside boulders and trees like pebbles and leaves. Ruto growled as one of the broken barks flew passed him. It scratched his face, drawing a thin line of blood across his cheek.

He quickly fled the scene even as the bear caused more damage to the forest as it chased after him.

Eventually, Ruto made it to the trap, and looked over his shoulder just in time to watch the bear get caught.

The first thing to get caught was the bear's leg. It was a standard wooden bear trap actually meant for smaller animals like deers. It was not meant to hold a true bear, so it creaked as it strained under a true bear's might. The second thing to get caught over the bear's neck. The wooden bear trap was actually connected to another trap, which sprung together. Thick vines dropped down all around the bear and tangled the struggling bear.

That's when the third trap struck home.

It creaked as it showed itself.

A single log, slightly thinner than the bear's own neck, flung down from the canopies. It was wrapped in two places with vines, and it slung forward promising only death in its awake.

And death it gave ... to the bear's anus.

The bear let out a painful roar as the wooden stake drove in through its rectum and struck its spine with a force that would have killed a man twice over. Even then, the stake kept on going, and broke through the backside of the bear, coming out in a spurt of blood, gore, and shit.

It was not a nice sight.

**LvL Up!**  
**+1 HP**  
**+2 AGI**  
**+2 END**  
**+1 WIS**  
**+1 INT**

**LvL Up!**  
**+3 DEX**  
**+2 END**

He stared at the LvL Up's, and shrugged. 6 more LvL's to go to prevent suicide.

* * *

**Day 23**

**[Five rabbits, one owl, and four snakes killed]**

**LvL Up!**  
**+4 INT**  
**+1 STR**

He stared at the screen blearily, having just returned from a night run. His body was tired, and his stamina was empty. Still, it was nice to see that his traps had gotten him some decent amount of kills and exp.

Oh well, he was going to take a nap.

* * *

Another thing that was different about him compared to the rest of the imps was that he was definitely stronger than any of them despite the fact that he had a [Weak] trait. It was confusing for Ruto at first trying to figure that one out before he came up with a theory.

The [Weak] trait put him in an disadvantage at birth compared to the rest of the imps, but while he may have been disadvantaged, he still grew faster than the other imps whenever he LvL'ed up in part thanks to his [Genius] trait, which gave him stat points (all of which he still hadn't used).

And while he may hate this death quest, he had to appreciate it as well; it was forcing him to push himself to more than he had ever done in this new body.

But ...

Ugh, didn't mean he had to like it.

"Goddamn it!" Ruto shouted as he glared at one of his traps, which laid broken. It was as if someone was intentionally breaking it. The cut in the vines were too clean to be from an animal or an imp (they weren't strong enough for the most part to break a thick vine). It had to be a human that's breaking his trap!

But why?

**Quest Alert:**  
**Find out who is breaking your traps!**

**Objectives:**  
**-Find out who is breaking your traps.**  
**-Find out the motive behind the trap breaking.**

**Hidden Objectives:**  
**-?**  
**-?**

**Success:**  
**-(A) grade EXP**  
**-(C) local human currency loot**

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

Loot, eh? It had been a while since he had looted anything... But considering that there were going to be loot, did he have to kill the humans? It only made sense that a human would be the perpetrator if the loot was human currency the perpetrator probably had on his/her body.

After a second or two spent in thought, he shrugged. It's not like he cared if any of the humans died. If they died, they died, and if they lived, they lived. Nothing more to be said.

And on that thought, he should make more traps.

* * *

**Day 24**

When Ruto came back to the traps he had set up, he found a human dangling upside down with his throat ripped out. In his hand was a rabbit that had been caught in his trap, if the blood and wound hole said anything.

"Huh. Well, would you look at that," he said as he looted the man. "You were stealing from me!" He looked over the man. "Well, you deserved it."

Quest Complete!

**Objectives Complete:**  
**Perpetrator Identity, Reason of Perpetrator, Kill the Perpetrator(Hidden)**  
**Reward: **  
**A-rank EXP**  
**19 copper coins**  
**1 Rusty Iron Dagger**

Ruto grinned at the dagger. "Cool."

With looting and quest complete, he left the body there to be eaten by the wild animals while he went on to check his other traps.

**End of Day Report:**  
**1 quest complete**  
**5 rabbits trapped**  
**1 wolf trapped**  
**5 large lizards caught**  
**Total EXP gained: A+ EXP (in relation to LvL)**

**LvL Up!**  
**2+ STR **  
**2+ WIS**  
**2+ DEX**

* * *

**Day 25**

"Damn it!" Ruto roared as he ran as far as he can. Behind him were wolves, remnants of the pack that he had been hunting in the night. Unlike the first two packs he had hunted down, this pack of wolves were fighting back. The other two pack had left the forest area before they took more casualties to his traps.

Apparently, they had gotten extremely angry. From what he could gather, one of his traps had activated on a pair of cubs that had left their den for the first time.

Sufficed to say, they didn't live.

Wolves were not too different from people in the regard of their retaliation.

So he flew and ran around the trees, activating trap after trap.

One wolf howled as it bit at Naruto's ankle, only to meet its end by falling into a spike trap. Wolves behind it jumped over the pit, only to get their head smashed by a pair of rotting logs.

Ruto turned around and watched the trail of destruction he had prepared and activated. Then he whistled. "That's about twenty wolves right there."

It was the biggest wolf pack he had seen yet.

And they were now all dead.

Ruto grinned as he pulled out the rusty iron dagger from the sac he had been carrying. "Time to start skinning, eh?"

**End of Day Report:**  
**1 Quest Complete**  
**20 wolves killed**  
**Total EXP Gained: S+ (LvL Up! x2)**

**LvL Up! **  
**3+ DEX**  
**2+ WIS**

**LvL Up!**  
**1+ STR**  
**3+ DEX**  
**1+ WIS**

* * *

**Day 26**

... Ruto felt scared.

There was only one reason for it: the forest was silent. It was like the calm before the storm.

He had to be really thankful for his high WIS, because so far, it has been doing him good. Just the other day, he had the thought to set up traps early in the morning, and had helped him greatly in taking out the wolves.

But now, it was like something else was going on. It was not anything natural of this forest.

It was like ... something was coming into the forest.

Ping!

**New Skill!**  
**Clairvoyance (LvL 1)**  
**How, why, when, what, and who?**  
***Situational mana drain (0 ~ -max per use)**  
***The detail and depth of each usage will depend on LvL, higher the better**

Ruto blinked. "Sweet."

And he used it.

He gasped as his mana disappeared in one go, and even took ten points off his HP. His vision swam before sharpening and focusing. He screamed as he saw -even with his eyes closed!- the forest around him.

It expanded and expanded and expanded without stop until ...

What were those?

He could see them on the edge of the forest. They were big and thick. They had pig-like nose and ears.

These were orcs!

They carried weapons, most of them makeshift but strong nonetheless. He saw them hack and slash at the edge of the forest while several parties of them moved in.

One of the parties were heading straight for the imp colony. His home colony.

He cut off the flow of mana and gasped as he felt his body protest.

'Definitely not trying that any time soon...!' he hissed mentally.

Then it struck him again.

Orcs! Orcs were heading towards his home!

He turned and immediately flew towards the imp colony, hoping that nothing had happened so far and that the orcs would trigger some of the traps he had laid down earlier this morning.

He weaved through the trees branches and trunks, his speed going at its max. He ignored the messages that was popping up about his skill LvLing up.

He crashed into a tree, and felt his HP bar take a dip. He shook himself aware and flew again.

He had to warn them!

The nervousness in him finally managed to get him into trouble; he didn't see a tree branch in the way in his frantic search for his colony, and ran into it.

He flipped backward and landed on the ground, bouncing a few times.

He blacked out.

* * *

Groaning -after having laid on the ground for who knows how long- as he got up, his wings still flapped in his adrenaline driven urgency. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his head, but it only made it worse.

He touched his head and felt warm moisture.

'Blood.'

He groaned even as he took flight again.

However, he did not have to move for long.

The colony had come to sight, and he had been too late.

There was already a fire in the small clearing leading into the entrance of the colony's cave. There were two or three orcs in the clearing itself with a dead imp or two in their hands. Their bloodied mouth said much and enough.

There were also more orcs by the entrance, shoving his colony family into small cages, filling them almost to the brim. That wasn't all. He saw the orcs drag out the unconscious human women and men -caught by his parent generation, he was told- and -.

"Damn it!" he hissed.

One of the orcs heard him.

"Gyuyu tha!"

Whatever that meant.

Ruto hesitated before he fled the scene. He knew that he would not be able to do anything, yet to run away from here was heartbreaking.

Shirou and the kind elder imp. They were probably still in there, and he was abandoning them.

He looked over his shoulder as he watched two orcs chase after him. He weaved and flew around and over tree branches and trunks. The orcs barreled through them without much care, knocking aside branches that broke in their stampede, and scarred tree trunks with their slams.

What could he do if he stayed? Get caught like the others? Then get eaten?

No. It was selfish, but this was the only choice.

He shrieked as the closer orc swiped at him, barely missing his foot. He sped forward as much as his Fairy Flying could muster, and he sped forward.

* * *

He fled from the orcs, but they were damn persistent. He didn't know how much time had passed since he fled the colony, but he knew it had been for some time. His mana was barely back up to its quarter reserve even with his Fairy Flying draining it.

He dodged the swipes as they often got close to him.

He dodged another one, but this time, he hadn't looked forward quickly enough. His headd struck a tree branch, and he bounced over it like a ball thrown at an edge. He twirled in the air and landed square on back before bouncing on the ground itself.

The orcs caught up to him.

They grabbed his leg with him almost unconscious.

By the time he shook himself awake, Ruto was staring into the gaping mouth of an orc and the smell accompanying it.

He shrieked and let his Fairy Flight that wild tugs, sending him away -generally- from the mouth.

The orc stumbled forward, forgetting that it was holding Ruto by his leg, with its mouth snapping.

Then snap.

The orc stopped and looked around. What had that noise bee-?

Ruto flinched as one of his traps activated, and a very sharp, wooden pole was slingshotted from a makeshift crossbow (one use only), and pierced straight through the orc's head.

Blood and grey matter splattered him in the face.

"...Fucking gross."

**[Orc Grunt slain!]**

**LvL Up!**  
**2+ END**  
**3+ STR**

**LvL Up!**  
**6+ AGI**

Ping!

**[Evolution Conditions met: LvL 20, Special Condition (Hunter)**  
**Would you like to rank up?**  
**Yes No]**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 26**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto]**  
**LvL 20**  
**The Gamer**

**HP: 61.5 (+1.5 Max HP per day until a month old)(+1.5 HP per hour regen)**  
**Mana: 590 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 16**  
**DEX: 23**  
**AGI: 18**  
**END: 17**  
**INT: 32**  
**WIS: 27**  
**CHA: 8  
Unused Points: 93**

**Spirit: 6**  
**Magic: 13**  
**Power: 4**

**Traits Taken + Earned:**  
**Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Weak, Cynical, Depressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral]**

**Focus:**  
**Growing**

**Skills:  
Baiting (LvL 11)  
Fairy Flying (LvL 10(max))  
Fishing (LvL 2)  
Trapping (LvL 9)  
Intimidation (LvL 2)  
Listening (LvL 6)  
Rock Throwing (LvL 7)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Forgot about Genius Trait's +1 per each point gained ! oops. Fixed them on last chapter.**

**Hey guys, and welcome back to Re:Gamer, a story about Naruto from another story of mine reincarnating after death. Of course, this means that this is an alternate universe parallel in some form to that story in question.**

**I have decided, as I worked on this, that there will be some changes.**

**First, I have decided to forgo D&amp;D. It'll bore most of you to death. The number of calculation involved alone will put you to sleep.**

**Second, I have decided to add races from games like Starcraft, Warcraft, Starbound, and such. Including monsters. That will be fun to watch.**

**Now, someone complained about dice rolls. Well, they've been removed since they appeared, but sure. Whatever man. **

**For your information, I had a plotline readied for each of the outcomes, good, neutral, and bad for the dice rolls up to next three chapters. Of course, I removed it. **

**Don't ever fucking say I don't plan ahead.**

* * *

**Day 26(Continued):**

Ruto gaggled as he looked at the screen in front of him.

Of all time for his "rank up" or "evolution" to come, it was now?

He used his shaky arms to push himself up and stared at the screen.

It was a better help than anything else, though.

He chose Yes.

**[Your rank up will happen next time you sleep! Good Luck.]**

Ruto stared at the screen in front of him. "You're a goddamn troll, you know that?" he said, and at the same time, felt helpless. He looked at his HP and cringed. It was at a low of 29, the lowest he had ever gotten in this new world. Whatever speed and angle he had struck that tree branch with and the subsequent bounces he suffered, it had been almost too much for his body to handle.

Hell, it was a miracle he was in one piece!

Not to mention he was almost eaten.

That would have been a new experience, though one he didn't want to know about.

He muttered darkly. It would have been better, he mused sarcastically, if he could just knock himself out -.

...

Knock himself out?

He looked at the nearest tree. He had only 29 hp... could he do it?

'I mean, if as I am right now, I can't do anything. Hell, I don't think I could even lift that broken dagger there,' he thought as he stared at the uselessly broken and rusty dagger. 'But if I evolve -rank up- whatever, right now, then ... it is possible for me to fight some of them off?'

* * *

The birds, who were enjoying their lunch meals, were treated to an unusual sight of an imp running head first into a tree.

* * *

It was only for a moment, but Ruto did black out into the unconsciousness.

* * *

The birds were then treated to the very same imp changing before their very eyes.

The imp's red skin expanded as if a balloon (a concept that birds have yet to acknowledge nor know) was growing inside him.

They became uneasy as mana began to leak out of the body like tendrils.

Scratch that.

The better explanation would be that it looked like octopus tentacles often seen in kinky Japanese hentai.

Except blurry, ethereal, and generally not so threatening looking.

However, they did exert pressure upon the entire area.

They lingered there, moving very softly as if they were moving along with the wind.

Then they turned on their own body.

* * *

They struck at the imp body with vengeance, but no blood was spilled.

Screens popped up all over Ruto's face in big, flashing red.

_**[ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!]**_

_**[Conflicting Commands! Conflicting Commands!]**_

_**[ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!]**_

But Ruto was not awake to see it.

**[ABORT PROCESS! ABORT PROCESS!**  
**Yes or No?]**

But he was not awake to press it.

**[LACK OF INPUT. PROTOCOL RESET ACTIVE]**

**[COMMAND CONFLICT: CASE RankUp &amp; CASE PROTOCOL RESET]**

**[COMMAND CORRUPTION DETECTED! PROTOCOL CLEANSING AC-]**

Ruto's imp body began to fizz out like interrupted or corrupted video. All screens, which would have overwhelmed a normal individual, suddenly all stopped flashing red, and shrunk back.

A single black screen came out in their stead.

**[...Dumbasses, why do I have to fix the Law Department's errors.]**

Another screen popped up, but unlike the black screen, this screen was pink.

[It's not our fault that the Logic Center decided to capoot from the concussion!]

**[And look what happened.]**

A grey screen popped up.

_[Can we fix this already?]_

**[...Law Department, this is your issue. Why aren't you even attempting to fix this.]**

_[We're derivative of the Logic Center. Without it, we can't do much.]_

**[Idiot boss. Of all things to do, he slams his head into a tree?! Ugh. I don't get paid enough to do this.]**

The pink screen "giggled," shaking its screen up and down in a vibrating fashion. [You just called yourself an idiot. We don't even get paid. We're just part of the original unconsciousness, the cogs that run the machine.]

**[...Shut up. You're too talkative.]**

Then the screens disappeared.

**[Command Input. Override Successful. HELPER Protocol has been activated.]**

**[File Corruption: ... 4.612%. Teacher[Neutral] has been corrupted, its buffs and debuffs are no longer accessible. STR has been increased by half. INT has been decreased by quarter.]**

**[Case RankUp has been stabilized. Protocol Reset has been deactivated.]**

**[RankUp in progress. Actualizing Inner World to provide safety.]**

Ruto's mana, which had been filled back up to roughly two-thirds of the full reserve dipped back to near zero.

**[Time Limit: 1 minutes.]**

And then the world roared as violation of very laws of nature had been overturned.

* * *

Ruto's eyes shot open, and he gasped.

And then became confused.

He had just run straight into a tree, so why doesn't his forehead hurt?

He sat up, and looked around in mounting confusion.

The place he was in now was not the forest he had come to call home.

No... It was Konoha.

His first home.

But it was different. He could see the walls. He could see the mountain. But the walls had nothing within it, not a single building or people. The mountain didn't have a face. And the sky was filled with 1's and 0's.

"Wha-?"

And then it was over.

* * *

Ruto gasped, this time in pain, and shot up straight.

Instead of his forehead hurting, his entire body screamed in agony.

"WHAT THE FUCKKKK!" he shouted as pain wrecked through the nerves of his body.

Then it seized to be, as if it didn't exist in the first place.

He blinked, and shakily rose up, more tired from the constant confusion he had been feeling than any physical fatigue.

And then he looked at himself.

He grinned.

His skin was no longer red. It was grey now.

He also had actual hair. They were long and fell to either side of his face in their red glory.

He was taller.

He felt _stronger_.

And dumber.

He frowned.

Why did he feel dumber?

He shook it off, and looked over himself.

His legs were much taller in proportion to his body size than they had previously been. He stood much taller than he had before, which was also a plus.

**[Congratulations! You have Ranked Up!**  
**Status Update:  
+20 HP**  
**+5 STR**  
**x2 STR**  
**+10 END**  
**+5 AGI  
+29 Spirit  
+11 Magic  
+20 Power**

**Species changed to [Troll] due to:**  
**[Orc Slayer]**  
**[Forestkin]**  
**[Humanoid Lineage]**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying(Passive): +20% EXP for Beast killing  
Troll Blood(Passive): +10% HP Regeneration in Melee Combat]**

Ping!

**[You no longer feel too much pressure! Depression has been reduced to [Stressed], trait with no suicidal tendency]**

Ping!

**[You have lost [Fairy Flying] due to lack of Fairykin!]**

"Sweet," Ruto said as he got up. And then he read the last message. "Not so sweet."

It was then that he recognized something about his head.

His nose and his teeth.

The former was long. Like his imp self had some long nose, but this nose? It was almost half as long as his face!

The latter was just ridiculous.

He now had tusks, and these weren't ornamental. They were strong. He tugged on them, and they didn't even bend like teeth would.

... Were these things part of his skull?! As in actual part, not like teeth?

He gave another tug.

Probably.

Damn.

Their strength and durability aside, these were sharp. If he charged into someone with these, he could probably pierce most leather armor.

Ping!

**New Skill!**  
**Charge (LvL 1)**  
**Slam into them! Bash into them! Run into them!**  
***For two seconds, you charge towards your target.**  
***-50% DEX during Charge duration.**  
***+(STR/2 + Power/2) added as additional attack. If no additional attack, calculate damage as is.  
*-(target's Power - your Power) self damage.**  
***+(your STR - target's END)% chance of stunning.**

Well, that was new. Thinking up a skill.

Then another thought struck him.

The colony!

He looked up.

The sun was still in the same position as before.

He could still help!

He ran forward.

...

...

And then came back, blushing a storm.

He stripped the orc of its clothes -a boy, he realized by the meaty dick he found and quickly crushed- and wore it.

It stunk.

With teary eyes, bloody foot, and clothes that covered his body, he ran back towards the colony.

* * *

When he had arrived back at his colony, most of the imps had already been taken away. There were one or two orcs left, and they were feasting on the unwanted imps.

Ruto narrowed his eyes.

He grabbed a rock and chucked it at the nearest orc. The rock flew fast, and crossed the distance in a blink of the eye. It struck the orc at the back of the head with a crack!

**-15! Critical Strike!**

Ruto raised an eyebrow. "Oh nice," he muttered even as the two orcs turned to him.

He gave them the middle finger and ran the opposite way, snagging a thick tree bench on the way.

The orcs chased after him, two in total; the third was laying where he had been struck in the head, bleeding out.

Ruto looked over his shoulder for a split second before he had to duck under the tree branches and then rotated around a thick tree trunk.

Then just as the orcs were about the move around the tree trunk, one per side, he jumped out of the bushes with his branch in hand and [Charged]. He slammed into the orc, and with the momentum of his slam, stabbed him.

**-30**  
**-33 [Charge]**  
**3% chance of Stunning ... no Stun!**

**0 self-damage**

The orc stumbled backward and tripped. He fell on the ground, and Ruto fell on top of him. Without mercy, Ruto smashed his fists into the orc's face with all the strength he could produce in one burst, forgoing a steady stream of attacks he could have produced instead.

The blow connected with the orc's nose, and cracked whatever bone they had.

**-13! Critical Strike!**

It was only then that the orc died.

'30, 33, and 13. A total of 76 hp. That's a little less health than I have,' Ruto thought before he jumped away from the orc, grabbing the rusty dagger it had in its right hand.

Just as the other orc came around, Ruto jumped out again, this time with a knife in hand.

The orc, in his surprise, fumbled with pulling its shortsword out of its sheathe. By the time he drew it half way, Ruto was already upon him with another [Charge] and stab.

**-26**  
**-33 [Charge]**  
**0% chance of Stunning ... no Stun!**

**2 self-damage**

Ruto gritted his teeth. 'Stupid of me!' he hissed mentally as his body screamed in protest. While he had evolved less than an hour ago, it did not mean he had healed. In fact, his body was only slightly better because he had evolved. And then he had taken that body that should be resting to battle.

Yes, very stupid of him.

He glanced at his HP for a split second. **[13/81.5]**

Soooo fucking close...!

Ruto didn't stop fighting even when his mind was clicking away the calculations. His hand reached out and pierced through the orc's eyes, blinding him. Then he stabbed the orc between the eye.

The orc twitched before it died.

With a sigh, he stole the shortsword as well.

**[2 Orc Grunts slain! Rusty Iron Dagger and Rusty Iron Shortsword looted!]**

**New Skill!  
Blade Weaponry (LvL 1) (Passive)  
Makes stabbing and slashing easier.  
*+5% damage with any and all forms of blades with each LvL of this skill.  
*+(Power/10) damage added to all blade damage.**

**New Skill!  
Ambush (LvL 1)  
Sneaky Beaky Like  
*+(your WIS/5 + your INT/5 + your AGI/3 - target WIS/10 - target INT/10 - target AGI/5)% of Stunning target for (skill LvL/10) seconds. If Stun duration is 1 second, then duration is rounded up.  
*May cause misunderstandings against bystanders.**

He got up and stumbled backward.

He gasped for breath for a bit. This was his first close quarter combat in a while. His body was also not in good shape. How messed up his situation was...

He grunted as he headed back towards the colony for the second time that day. Moving through the forest while [Listening] and looking out for any possible threats, his mind was working out what he was going to do.

The third orc, which he had struck with a rock, hadn't chased him. Was the orc dead? Was it alive but dying? Was it being treated by its allies?

He arrived faster than before, and saw the orc lying in its own blood, almost dead.

**[5/71]**

Ruto kicked its head right where he had struck it before, and it died from shock.

**[1 Orc Grunt slain!]  
**

**New Skill!  
Kicking (LvL 1)  
Butt-kicking, ass-kicking, face-kicking, dick-kicking, jaw-kicking...  
*Use of legs in combat has base damage of +10 + (your Power/10 - target END/10)  
*Momentum adds damage +(Current Speed(m/s)/3 + angle(90\180) + AGI/10 + END/10)  
*Kicking LvL increases with practice.  
**

He scoffed. Then he turned to the imps in their cage.

They were looking at him in fear. He felt a bit depressed about that, but not as much as before. 'Must be the change kicking in,' he thought, remembering how his -Depressed- had changed into -Stress-. Oh, neither were good, but better -Stress- than -Depressed-.

He waved at them. "It's me. Ruto."

That shocked and froze the remaining imps even as he opened the wooden cage. "Come on, out you go. We dont have much time."

The elder imp was among those in this cage.

"H-How?"

Ruto shrugged. "Beats me, gramps. But we really have to move. There are more orcs outside of the forest, and if their friends don't come back, they'll come here to look for them... Also, where is Shirou?"

The elder imp looked sad. "He ran after you as soon as the orcs struck us. He hasn't come back yet."

Ruto frowned. He'll have to find him. "Alright. Follow me."

The imps flew using their **[Fairy Flying]**, which Ruto was already beginning to miss.

He then moved the colony towards west, where he had come from initially, hoping that Shirou was there.

* * *

As their colony moved onward, they found one or two stragglers who had escaped the attack on their colony, andm ost of them were awed by Ruto's new evolution and power.

They also learned that their colony was not the only one hit. Apparently, there had been at least three more imp colonies. All were wiped out without only a handful escaping.

By the end of their 3 hour escape from the orcs, they had 21 imps, 2 fairies, and one Veshta Nerada. these fairies weren't the "nature" or "holy" fairies that Ruto or the Old Imp had initially imagined them to be. Instead of being pure, these were more like pranksters. A "normal" fairy, if one could say.

Normally, Vasta Narada would not have been included in their escape as they possess a lot of power even in that lower evolution form and they were also hunters of imps. But it seemed like whatever

Then he heard it.

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 26**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]**  
**LvL 20**  
**The Gamer**

**HP: 81.5 (+1.5 Max HP per day until a month old)(+1.5 HP per hour regen)**  
**Mana: 590 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 42**  
**DEX: 23**  
**AGI: 18**  
**END: 27**  
**INT: 24**  
**WIS: 27**  
**CHA: 8  
Unused Points: 134**

**Spirit: 35**  
**Magic: 24**  
**Power: 24**

**Traits Taken + Earned:**  
**Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Weak, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable)**

**Focus:**  
**Growing**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)**

**Skills:  
Ambush (LvL 1)  
Baiting (LvL 11)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 1)  
Charging (LvL 2)  
Clairvoyance (LvL 1)  
Fishing (LvL 2)  
****Intimidation (LvL 2)****  
Leadership (LvL 1)  
****Listening (LvL 6)  
****Throwing (LvL 7)****  
Trapping (LvL 9)  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Perhaps I should have explained better. So I'll go back and insert my reasoning for Ruto choosing evolution right there on the spot. ****So damn fucking picky. Cancer, the lot of you flamers.**

**Ah, and this is where I explain some of the question you NICE guys had.**

**Morpheus: **WoW trolls. Imps don't exactly have five fingers, ya see...

**kronos: **Well, the point of using Naruto(Ruto) is for him to have the Gamer ability.

**Rakaan: **You bring up a good point. The Genius trait ensures that Ruto gets extra points, but it is up ot him to use them however he sees fit, like the more common -not the popular- RPG's tend to do. Of course, they don't have the genius trait, but who cares XD

**General Question:** Ruto meeting Rou? Eh, maybe. I don't know. Haven't thought about that much. I'll make a poll about it. I'll look at poll, think about it, and then do something about it.

**And those three were the only questions from chapter 6 reviews. **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

**Day 26 (Continued):  
Ruto POV**

That's when I heard it.

It was a whimper of an imp, not too far away from them.

Followed by a squeal of an orc.

I brandished his two looted and rusty weapons, and leapt towards the sound.

I jumped over a bush, and landed in a small clearing... where a orc was hanging upside down with an imp barely holding up a rusty iron dagger. The orc was still alive with some harmless cuts on its neck.

"Ah, Shirou."

The imp jumped and turned to me.

"E-Eeeek, a troll!" she gabbled, and tried to hold the knife between himself and me.

I sweatdropped. "It's me, Ruto." I gave the orc a look before walking up to it. "Led one of these guys into my own trap, did ya? Smart."

Shirou blinked for a second before dropping the knife and falling on his knees. "Damn it, why didn't you come faster!" he complained.

Shrugging as I cut the rope holding the now dead orc, I looted the body. Shirou had already taken the knife, but it had a belt. I held it up in the air before shrugging once more and tying it around myself.

"I was busy rescuing the evacuating the colonies," I replied. "Let's go, others are waiting and orcs are not."

At the mention of the orc, Shirou nervously glanced at the dead orc. "T-There's more of them...?!"

"Yeah, about a whole hundred. We need to get out of this forest, and fast."

"O-okay."

**New Skill!**  
**Runnning (LvL 1) Passive**  
**Run Forrest, run!**  
***+5% per LvL increase in movement speed when status [Running] applies.**  
***+(END*3 + AGI) seconds of sprint.**

"Some things don't change, it seems," I muttered to myself, looking briefly at the new skill's description. "And why the hell didn't I get this before?"

And I also realized that he hadn't noticed a small question mark at the bottom right corner of this screen.

I clicked on it.

**[Running(Passive) is a secondary evolution skill. First evolutionary tier version of this skill is sprint.]**

So, just because I had never sprinted -thanks to flying- that I never got the skill? What a load of bullshit.

"Uh, Ruto? Who are you talking to?" Shriou asked me, obviously concerned about my lack of conversation partner.

I shrugged. "Just talking to myself, that's all."

I looked around for a bit before tossing the imp into my hand -surprisingly, Shirou fit like a oversized doll on my hand- and ran back towards the group.

I burst out into the forest clearing, and I saw my imps there still.

"Oh good. I found Shirou."

There were some cheers for another survivor. "Time ot get moving though. I don't think those orcs are not too far behind us."

Shirou, after I let him down, looked around. "T-This is all that's left?" he asked me.

I sighed. "Yeah. The orcs came out of nowhere and ate most of our kin in the area," I replied sadly. "But thank whatever gods that exist because these orcs weren't properly trained. If they were, you and I and the rest of us would be in their stomach right now."

With that, I gave no further reply. I moved forward at the head of the group. "Someone go up and check for me how far the end of the clearing is!"

One of the imps nodded vigorously before flying high up and above the treetops. "Uhhhhh..." he looked back. "About the half the length as we just came by!"

I gave him a thumbs up, and the imp came down. "No no no, I need you up there still. I just realized that we had no look out. You can do that, right?"

The imp nodded hesitantly. "Y-you won't leave me behind right?"

I raised an eyebrow. "No, you'll be right above us the entire way. Why would we leave you behind?"

The imp let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, I'll be up there."

Ruto gave the imp another thumps up. "Keep yourself safe, too. Yeah?"

* * *

**Day 27**

We made it out of the forest just in the morning, and we came face to face with a mountain range.

"Well, shit."

I had thought it was odd that the forest had been continuously becoming more and more vertical until finally, they had come across a cliff.

And it was there that they saw the world beyond their little forest.

Well, they were kind of in a hurry, so they would admire the view later.

Back to the point, orcs behind them, and a cliff in front of them.

...

Well... I do have fairy flying imps.

"Yeah, I'm going to need five or more of you flyers to help me get down. I can't fly anymore."

* * *

We kept up our pace until it was noon.

I looked around, and I determined that we had fled far enough.

We were safe.

But now we were hungry.

"Time for me to hunt, I guess," I said as I stood up. Before I moved out though, I turned to the Vesta Nereda, the pirahna of the air. "...Can you sniff out any deers around here, or is that out of your ability?"

Vesta Nereda were odd creatures. By appearance, they had nothing but a shadow. But it was a shadow cast by nothing. That alone was scary. What was more scarier was that it was not a single individual but a _swarm_. I would have to look into it.

And because it was not an indvidual, it's voice was ...

_**"W**_e** ca**_n_."

A chorus.

"Find me a herd, if you can."

With that, the shadow on the ground disappeared.

I cracked my neck. "Hunting again, eh?"

"Take me with you!" Shirou jumped at the chance to join.

"No. I'm going to be finishing this fast."

* * *

**LvL Up!**  
**+2 STR**  
**+2 DEX**  
**+2 AGI**  
**+1 INT**

Well, I wanted it to be fast, but by the time I got the amount of meat I had intended to, it was already dusk. Thankfully, the imps had stayed put where I had left them.

"I got our food," I said as I slung forward the deerskin bag I had stitched together, and laid out a deer leather mat. Then I dumped the meat out from the bag. "Dig in."

Everyone jumped in for a piece of meat, and I couldn't help but pity them. They were so weak and so fragile. Even if they were caught off guard with the orc attack, three colonies had been wiped out in an instant. And I had been one of them.

Hell, it hadn't been even a day since I had ranked up. Evolved. Whatever.

"They need to be trained to survive," I realized as my eyes widened at the realization.

I turned to look at Shirou, and it looked like he had heard me, because he was very, very scared.

"You're not going to have us run away from wolves like before, are you?"

I let out a laugh. "Oh, no no no. I don't think the rest of the guys here will survive," I said, gesturing to the imps feeding on the deer meat. "No, I have something more routine in mind. It'll also be slower... But say, why aren't you evolving yet?"

Shriou looked downtrodden. "I want to, but I don't know how."

"...Say, have you been hunting lately? I mean the few days before this happened."

Shirou nodded excitedly. "Yeah! I caught rabbits and squirrels and -!"

"Okay, okay, I think I know why you aren't evolving yet."

"You do?"

"You aren't in danger."

Shirou looked as if he had been slapped. "B-But rabbits! They're dangerous! You felt how strong their kicks are!"

I had to agree. When I had been an imp, I had been struck by a particularly vicious rabbit. This was perhaps two or three weeks ago. The rabbit hadn't gone down as I had planned, and as soon as I opened one of the traps to check for a kill, it lashed out hard. Its hind legs struck me in the chest, and I saw my HP drop by a tenth.

A motherfucking tenth.

"I know it hurts as an imp, but I highly doubt it'll hurt me anymore."

"...I don't have to this training, though, right?"

I scoffed. "Heavens, no."

Shirou let out a sigh of relief.

"I'll be sending you to the wolves."

Shirou froze.

I only grinned maliciously.

I would have to hold the training off for a bit, though. I had my own stuff to do.

* * *

I sat down next to a tree slightly apart from the imp and Veshta Nereda conglomerate. With the food stacked high over their heads, it seemed like the group was going to be happy. "Our" Veshta Nereda, as it seemed to be content with staying with us, would most likely keep other scavengers away.

So I now had my own work, namely, the changes that took upon myself.

I had gone over the stat changes right after I evolved, so that was no biggie, but one of the alerts had involved a quest.

**[To be More]** to be precise. The quest that "threatened" to give me a 50%-50% suicide ratio.

So, it was time to see what happened to it.

And I opened it up.

**Quest Aborted!**  
**Necessary Component [Trait:Depressed] has been removed.  
No consequences.**

**New Quest!**  
**Becoming Stronger: Part 1**  
**No longer [Depressed], you have become more energetic and lively. Your goals don't seem so far ahead -or so monumental- and that gave you some breathing room.**

**Requirements:**  
***Reach LvL 20 before Day 30.**  
***Have a total of 390 points.**  
***Do not die.**

**Bonus Objective:**  
***Ambitious Trait - Have a total of 450 points.**

**Success:**  
***?**

**Failure:**  
***?**

...I thought it was not supposed to be depressing. Now, I don't even know what the failure consequences are. Ain't that stressf-.

I blinked.

Stressful.

It was stressful.

Oh god.

This was the effect of [Stressed] trait?

... Well, as long as I'm not dying.

So how many points did I have?

-A few minutes later with a stick and number of calculations on the ground-

"Huh, I'm only one levels away from safety."

I grinned. I supposed that wasn't as stressful as before though, when I had a looming death sentence. Perhaps the evolution helped. After all, it had given him a full hundred points. If I hadn't evolved, I would have had to LvL Up ten times and then some to just reach the safe line.

Ow. Headache. Too much thinking.

Guess I'm going to sleep then...

* * *

**Day 28**

The first thing I did when I woke up was to find a way to make ourselves a more suitable colony. Or rather, a fort.

I intended to have every single imp and other creatures under my command -because they seemed to be referring to be all the time- evolve to at least their second stage. I'm imagining at least half of them turned to humanoids of similar size to mine, so we'll need a place where we can stay safe.

But first, I needed labor for that. I could only provide so much of it by myself, and imps weren't likely to do so.

I could ask the Veshta Nereda to gnaw off the wood, but it'll be matter of minutes before they are full and unable to do so. Not to mention the fact that they aren't exactly herbivores.

...

Shirou, on the other hand, was less than a few days away from evolving.

I turned around, looking for the small, red imp before I found him.

"Shirou, we're going hunting! Bring those rocks your sharpening with you!" I shouted -as he was on the other side of our camp- as I stood up.

Shirou was also odd. For an imp, he was outgoing and brave. Most of the other imps in the camp was whiny, tired, and cowardly. I hoped that some of those traits would change after they evolve. Anyways, Shirou was an odd imp. Hell, he was just ... like ... me.

Just like me.

He didn't have one of those stupid one vowel names. He didn't associate himself with any of the other imps much. He was constantly trying to improve himself.

'Was ... he a Gamer, just like me?'

Why hadn't I realized this before?

**[Your deduction of observations have increased your WIS by +1!]**

**New Skill!**  
**Observe (LvL 1) (Passive/Active)**  
**Linking observation with observation.**  
***Allows you to observe more of your environment's details passively.**  
***+(your WIS + your INT - target's Complexity - target's Magic Resistance)% of accurately analyzing target.**

I blinked.

Finally! That useful as fuck skill was finally here!

Immediately, I used it on Shirou.

[Calculating... Calculating...]

[Calculation complete: +41%]

'I knew it! He was different. My INT and WIS were 54 points together. I don't think imps have much magic resistance nor complexity, which means...'

[Observation Failed!]

Argh.

...

'Well, I do have more than a hundred points.'

I pulled up the Character Status by mentally calling to it, and added 15 points each to my INT and WIS. Then I tried again.

**[Observation successful!]**

**Character: Shirou**  
**Race: Red Forest Imp**  
**LvL: 14**  
**HP: 44**  
**MP: 700**

**STR: 11**  
**DEX: 20**  
**AGI: 13**  
**END: 7**  
**INT: 25**  
**WIS: 20**  
**CHA: 8**

**Power: 13  
Magic: 17  
Spirit: 16**

I stared in surprised at his INT, WIS, and mana stat. For his level, those were pretty high. But what got me was what came after. And that was ignoring the mana reserve. That was much more than I had.

**Traits:**  
**Reincarnation, Brave, Quick, Anti-Hero, Sword-Affinity, Proud, Master Chef, Honest**

Reincarnation plus Anti-Hero? Someone must have had some pretty shitty life before they came here.

Master Chef, on the other hand...

I cackled mentally. I could use that in a subordinate.

"Anyone else?" I asked the groggily waking crowd of imps. I got one or two imps hesitantly walking up to me.

See? General population of imps are whimps.

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 27**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]**  
**LvL 21**  
**The Gamer**

**HP: 83 (+1.5 Max HP per day until a month old)(+1.5 HP per hour regen)**  
**Mana: 590 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 44**  
**DEX: 25**  
**AGI: 20**  
**END: 27**  
**INT: 41**  
**WIS: 43**  
**CHA: 8  
Unused Points: 112**

**Spirit: 35**  
**Magic: 24**  
**Power: 24**

**Traits Taken + Earned:**  
**Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Weak, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable)**

**Focus:**  
**Growing**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)**

**Skills:  
Ambush (LvL 4)  
Baiting (LvL 11)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 2)  
Charging (LvL 4)  
Clairvoyance (LvL 1)  
Fishing (LvL 2)  
****Intimidation (LvL 3)****  
Leadership (LvL 2)  
****Listening (LvL 7)  
Running (LvL 3)  
****Throwing (LvL 8)****  
Trapping (LvL 13)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Day 28 (continued):**

One of the first things I had wondered since I began hunting yesterday was why there were no imps or rank equivalents in this area. Our Veshta Nereda did report to me that there were plenty of Veshta Neredas in the area. I found it odd, so this time, I went around and did more searching than it was necessary for hunting.

I came to two conclusions.

_1\. The area is filled with some nasty creatures. Some were bigger than trees while the more nasty ones were about the size of the imps with the speed of a ninja. _

_2\. The area may be mountainous, but the valleys in between were swampy. In these swamps lived multiple communities of forg-man called Bullywug. They had villages at many conjunction points between the valleys._

So traverse between the mountains made it a hazardous thing to do for any creatures the Bullywogs were hostile to.

I pondered. Hunting would have to limited to the small range that my camp is currently in, but once many of the imps evolve, the lack of food and hunting ground will force us to face off the Bullywugs. Bullywugs would have been for a long time, if their number was suggesting anything, which meant that they could be well organized ... or not.

Without much more information, I could not act hastily. I had a lot of preparing to do.

I jumped down from the treetops to the ground, and landed right next to Shriou. "Alright, let's get moving. Since we can't go down the mountains without trouble, let's move up."

And so we moved up.

I came upon the same clearing where I had met the deers, and I saw that they were still there not too far away. Perhaps they don't learn? Or what was it that brough them back here?

So I watched them as the imps did as well. They were curious as to why I didn't start setting up traps immediately. Shirou asked me that. I told him what I was thinking.

"If this mountain has good source of food for deers, why are they back here? It was literally yesterday that some of their herd died here."

Shirou seemed to get the mystery.

So we all watched.

The first thing I noted was what they ate. Berries and grass, but more berry than grass. It seemed that these deers' diets were different from the ones I was familiar with.

Second thing I observed was their "rotation" of sorts. They would eat in one place, then move on .. and within hours, come back to the very same spot they started feeding on.

I looked around, searching the very berry that they were eating, and I found it. It was less than three strides from the base of the tree I had been observing the deer herds from. So I went to the berry, plucked it, and used [Observe].

**Second-Grove Triberry**  
**Tiny Fruit**  
**? [Req. Observe(LvL 10)]**

**Description:**  
**Consumed mostly by villages and animals far out in the wilderness, Triberry is known for its unique characteristic: as long as there is food for its roots -light, water, and air- it can regrow its berry within four hours. Not only that, it can go from a seed to a full grown bush within a week. However, it is considered no more of a pest by gardeners.**

**Consumption Bonus: **  
**Sour Aftertaste: triggers [Alertness] that lasts for three seconds.**

Oh, I get it. That;s why they were able to react to me so fast when I first attacked them yesterday. This berry not only sated their hunger, it also eliminated the need for the deers to move in large areas, and thus reducing the amount of space predators could find them. I must have been lucky or something. On top of that, by eating this berry, they would become more alert and can react better to threats or any kind of surprises!

It was pretty cool... and something I should cultivate. After all, it only required three things: light, water, and air. While I was sure that it had other requirements, I was no herbologist. But still, I could plant a lot of these where our camp was situated at, and within a week, we would have a stable food source.

I plucked a bunch of them and tossed them into my -previously orc's- worn jacket's pockets. Then I left the jacket on the ground, and turned to the deers.

Okay, I got information I wanted... Time to hunt.

With **[Running]** activated, and I was soon zooming towards the deers with my knives drawn, and my **[Charge]** activated too.

* * *

I grinned as I counted the amount of dead deers surrounding me.

It seemed that I had attacked them just as they were en route from one feeding area to the next, and they didn't have the [Alertness] buff available to them. Taken by surprise, or they were too dependent on it, I had cornered them into very dense portion of the forest where there had been a small cliff or sorts, and slaughtered everything.

"...3...4...5!" I yelled happily.

The imps didn't look happy as I did. Shirou looked particularly sick. "What?"

"It was ..." Shirou began, his red skin somewhat green. "Kind of sick."

I raised an eyebrow. "Did you expect it to be better?"

"Traps, maybe? That's what you usually do."

I cackled. "I don't need to do that anymore, though!" I exclaimed gleefully. "Now that I'm strong and fast enough, I can directly grab and kill my prey. So much easier and takes so much less time... But I may need to wash off the blood."

So, I found a stream nearby, and washed the blood off myself and my clothes. I quickly went back, and slung four of the deers -they were small now, after I evolved- over my shoulder. "You can carry one by yourself, Shirou. That should give you some workout. It is only a small deer, too. Should be no problem, right?"

Shirou looked at me in abject horror.

I just smirked back and went back to the camp.

"W-Wait!"

I promptly ignored Shirou.

* * *

Once we -Shirou took a full hour to drag the deer- were back in our camp, I cut up the deers, and handedd the meat out on the condition that they will follow my orders in exchange for food and protection. There were one or two dissenters, but they all went along with what I said as long as I wasn't asking them to hurt themselves.

I agreed to that, and we all had a small feast.

But that got me wondering...

Hadn't I basically declared myself chief over this "tribe" of imps?

...

I was a fucking tribal chief. How hilarious was that?

Well, I would have to soon make them stronger than they were now if they were to survive out here.

Again, that leads the point back to needing a shelter, and I was thinking more in the lines of a wood-walled fortress than not. If I really had to, I could find us a cave, but cave was not defensible as a walled fort, and it was easy to get cornered.

No, fort would be better, even if it would have to take some time for us to build it.

Once I ate, the first thing I got to work on was to recreate one of the more essential skills I had back in my first life.

I must recreate the [Crafting].

* * *

Easier said than done. Now that I think about it, I should have gotten the [Crafting] skill already, seeing as I had done a lot of tinkering and rigging of traps as an imp.

Or was this one of those things he couldn't achieve because he was an imp at the time?

Back to the present, I had been working on making hatchets for hours already. I had already made three, and I was just waiting for that damn [Crafting] skill to pop up.

I finished the tightening on the sharpened stone -provided by Shirou- and the thick branch I had cut off. There! Another hatchet complete.

So I waited ... and waited ... and waited... and waited...and w-.

When the fuck is it going to come out?!

"What are we supposed to do with these, Ruto?" Shirou asked me.

I glared at him accidentally, my annoyance at not receiving the [Crafting] yet carrying over.

"To cut down the woods. We need to make a fort if we're going to survive out here. This place isn't like our forest used to be," I remarked curtly. I noticed him flinch.

"How bad is it?"

Gotta remember that they don't have [Observe].

"At the base of this mountain alone, there are three bullywug villages, and they like to ambush people for their trinkets or to enjoy belittling them. From what I saw, they number in the hundreds altogether, but we only number twenty or so at best," I replied. "If they decide to kill us, which I don't doubt those bullywugs will try -it's in their name- we won't stand a chance without a wall to protect ourselves."

"The why don't we find a cave then? Like our last ... colony..."

"Seems you get why I'm not choosing a cave."

There was a silence after that as Shirou and I worked on ... Okay, what the hell? Was there some kind of other requirements for [Crafting]?

Ping!

**Skill Request**  
**[Basic Crafting]**  
**Category: Advanced**  
**Requirement: **  
***Production of a minimum of LvL 10 item, equipment, or physical capital.**

I blinked.

Well, that was convenient.

"[Observe]," I spoke and stared at the axes.

**Stone Axe [LvL 3]**  
**Not exactly high tech, but allows for efficient logging.**  
***+(your STR/10 x target Log's Thickness(meter)) minutes for each logging**  
***+30 physical damage when wielded as a weapon.**

"Huh."

I've been wasting my time, it seems.

...I better use [Observe] on every single shit I see.

"I think we've made enough for now," I told Shirou as I stood up. "Let's see if we can do something about those deer skins."

* * *

**Deer Leather Jacket (Poor) [LvL 5]**  
**Good enough to stop stone weaponry, but steel should cut through this like butter.**  
***+10 physical defense against damage.**

"Nope."

* * *

**Deer Leather Forearm Protectors (Poor) [LvL 4]**  
**Good enough to withstand one good strike at your forearms. **  
***+1 STR on wearer**  
***+4 physical defense against damage.**

"Nope, again."

* * *

**Deer Leather Pants (Poor) [LvL 6]**  
**Decent protection. Still not good enough against high tech weaponry.**  
***+14 physical defense against damage.**

"Nope. Hand me more."

"There are no more."

I snapped around, and indeed, there were no more leather for me to use.

"Damn," I gritted my teeth slightly in frustration.

Clink...

I looked down, and saw my two looted weapons.

They were rusty as hell, though.

... But I did get an idea. I could heat these guys up and pound the rust out of them. But to do that, I might need a good hammer.

"Shirou."

Shirou stopped sharpening his current project and looked up at me. "Yes?"

"It is possible for you to make me a hammer head?"

He blinked, and then grinned. "I can try, but I definitely won't be able to finish it today."

"Alright, just get back to me soon."

* * *

**Day 29:**

When Shirou walked up to me, I was excited. Did he finish it?

Shirou was indeed holding a lump of roughly hammer head shaped rock in his two frail hands. "I-It's this."

I took it from him -my hand was bigger than his face by a large margin, actually- and I hefted it up. It was a bit on the large side, but it would do fine. I quickly walked over to the workspace, where the hatchets still lay. I took one of the thicker branches I had cut off yesterday, and using plant fiber, I began to tie the two things together.

It took me half an hour to get it just right so that the hammer will hold, but it was worth it.

**Stone Hammer (Poor) [LvL 7]**  
**Too small to use it as a normal weapon, but too large for anything fine and small.  
*Can be used on metals.**

There were no other stat to it, but that was fine.

I turned to a small pit of fire I had made next to my workspace. I pulled out my daggers and stuck the blades on the fire.

Shirou looked horrified.

I shrugged, ignoring him. I waited for the blades to turn glowing red before I pulled them out by the handle, yelping as I burned my hand on the guard. I tossed the smaller blade unto a rock anvil I had set up. It was the closest to any flat, hard surface I was going to find in a forest. Then, raising my hammer up, I began to pound on the first blade. I saw bits and pieces of impurities fall off, and I grinned.

This was it! He could do this!

He pounded again and again and again until no more impurities fell off.

I didn't have anything to cool it with, so I just kept on pounding until the red disappeared as the blade cooled down.

Then I [Observe]d.

**Reforged Troll Iron Dagger (Abnormal) [LvL 17]**  
**A decent dagger made in the human city of Alba(Destroyed)**  
***+20 physical damage to unarmored target**  
***+10% physical damage on top of base damage if used with stealth skills  
*+5% physical damage after defense calculations if wielder is of Troll evolution**

Ping!

**New Skill!**  
**Crafting (LvL 1)**  
**Path to civilization and destruction lay here**  
***Allows for learning construction of new objects.**  
***Allows for construction of new objects with required tools.  
*Allows for construction of abnormal and above ranking items.  
*Generic Items **

Ping!

**New Quest!**

**Learn from Shirou!**  
**(Available only when "Mystery of Shirou" is active with the skill of [Crafting])**

**Requirement:**  
***Do not upset Shirou when confronting him**  
***Learn from Shirou the skill [Structural Analysis]**

**Bonus Objective:**  
***Learn from Shirou Projection**

**Reward:**  
***+1 LvL Up!**  
***New Skill: Structural Analysis**  
***New Skill: Minor Arcane Crafting**  
***New Crafting Item: Stone Pickaxe**  
***New Crafting Item: Nameless Blade**  
***New Alliance: ***** Shirou of ********  
*Shirou: New Skill: Teacher  
*Shirou: New Title: Magus  
*Shirou: New Evolution: ?**

**Failure:**  
***Shirou may leave colony (Extremely Uncomfortable)**  
***Shirou may assault you (Hostile)**  
***Shirou may take over colony's leadership (Incompetent) **  
***Shirou may cut relationship (Unfriendly)**

...

What the fuck.

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 28**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]**  
**LvL 21**  
**The Gamer**

**HP: 83 (+1.5 Max HP per day until a month old)(+1.5 HP per hour regen)**  
**Mana: 590 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 44**  
**DEX: 25**  
**AGI: 20**  
**END: 27**  
**INT: 41**  
**WIS: 43**  
**CHA: 8  
Unused Points: 112**

**Spirit: 35**  
**Magic: 24**  
**Power: 24**

**Traits Taken + Earned:**  
**Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Weak, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable)**

**Focus:**  
**Growing**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)**

**Skills:  
Ambush (LvL 4)  
Baiting (LvL 11)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 2)  
Charging (LvL 4)  
Clairvoyance (LvL 1)  
Crafting (LvL 1)  
Fishing (LvL 2)  
****Intimidation (LvL 3)****  
Leadership (LvL 2)  
****Listening (LvL 7)  
Running (LvL 3)  
****Throwing (LvL 8)****  
Trapping (LvL 13)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Day 29**

When Ruto woke up that day, I felt a familiar sense of deja vu. Last time I had this feeling, I had recently been given a quest ...

I paled.

The mission. **[Becoming Stronger: Part 1]**.

I only had one day left.

Forget about the new one, I had to complete the old one!

I shot up from the bed of leaves that I had made the other day right next to the fire I had made -something that I was able to craft immediately thanks to the [Crafting]- and ran off into the woods. I still had a level to make up, and I didn't know how much EXP I needed!

Oh wait, I could just check.

**[EXP: 15/100]**  
**[LvLing Hint: Primary Evolution and wild animals of no significant importance or power gives you only 1 EXP per kill]**

... Well, shit.

* * *

So I sat where I first saw the bullywug village last time. I sat upon the tree, and watched the camouflaged bipedal frogs.

Bullywugs were very odd.

Oh, but a reminder to myself about** [Observe]**. Apparently, I had been using them so much that the skill's level actually exceeded my own. Currently, it sat at a high LvL 26, and it allowed me to look rather deep into things.

I wonder how it will compare to Structural Analysis.

Anyway, the reason why I mentioned **[Observe]** was because of how useful it had become. At LvL 10, it allowed me to see detailed information like a character sheet. At LvL 20, it allowed me to increase the distance that which I could use **[Observe]** on to five kilometers, which was sufficient enough for me to see the bullywugs villages dotted at the base of the mountain, aka the valleys.

In fact, because there are so many of them, I decided to call this mountain rage region as Bullywug Valleys.

And ... They were all around LvL 20's.

I grinned.

A perfect hunt, if I could manage it.

But I knew I could do it. Why? Because I had an advantage they did not have.

* * *

Crockak was warchief of the Village of Crikiki. His village was built at the crossroad of three swampy valleys and a single broad forested one. He had built up his power by attracting younger bullywugs into joining his force by offering them raids on human villages that lived at the ends of the valley.

Within seven years of his reign, he had gathered more than a thousand bullywugs and built himself a bullywug city that reigned supreme in the swamps of his region. With more than two thousand total bullywugs under his command with a thousand more having sworn vassalage to him.

And it was because of such that ... He hadn't expected this.

It was early night when the sun had just set. He was taking a walk through his domain as he usually does to look over the pitiful peasants and _things_ that call themselves his warriors...

When it happened.

A single arrow flew from the darkness and struck him in the chest.

Now he laid there on his own domain, his life pooling around him.

He smirked. Perhaps it was better this way. He wouldn't die like his craven brothers and sisters. He would die with a smile on his face...

* * *

I whistled as I heard that beautiful, beautiful sounds of EXP rolling in like gold coins into a vault. I nocked another arrow and fired.

And I missed.

Truth be told, that was the fifth arrow, and I'm just randomly shooting into the city. But I imagine that from the amount of EXP I gained from that fourth shot, I must've hit something really, really important.

...Oh, they noticed me.

Time to run!

* * *

It took me an hour of constant LvL 7 **[Running]** to reach my imp colony, but by that time, EXP was trickling in constantly.

This was how I did it.

Ever since morning, I set up trap after trap with the express intent to force the bullywugs into them. That was the first advantage I held.

I didn't have to fight them directly.

Which led to advantage number 2.

They may be the masters of swamps as their racial traits had told stated to me, they weren't the king of the mountain. They may live around mountains, but because they were so focused on the swamps -thank you, LvL 26 **[Observe]**!- their knowledge of forest -and forested mountains even less- were minimal. Also, on top of that, they weren't the species with the greatest of intelligence. Their average INT so far hovered around 30's, which wasn't bad unless you took into account their average WIS of ... 5.

They were pretty bad.

Oh, but they were strong cannon fodders. Average STR that was only a bit lower than the orc grunts that I saw with END that matched _deers _of all things.

Detecting traps and knowing when to retreat?

Not so much.

So I watched my character sheet as EXP trickled in by the 5's and 6's until I LvLed Up ... and LvLed Up ... and LvLed Up...and died off.

Yup, thanks to dumb idiots and a few traps, I was now LvL 24 with enough points to fulfill the requirements of the [Becoming Stronger: Part 1] quest!

...Man, that was easy. Why was I ever scared of that thing?

Well, now, I was hungry.

And had a second mission to confront, but that could wait until [Becoming Stronger: Part 1] quest completed itself and gave me its rewards.

* * *

**Day 30:**

**[Becoming Stronger: Part 1] Quest completed!**

**Reward:**  
**+2 LvL Up!**  
**+New Trait: Power Overwhelming**  
**+New Title: Survivalist**  
**+Dungeon Generation**

**Trait: Power Overwhelming**  
**Magic, Ki, chakra ... no, the best of them all is physical strength. In the face of an army, even wizards shall and ninjas must hide.**  
***+1 point to STR for every point invested into STR and END**

Boo-yah. Hell, that trait is actually pretty overpowered.

+1 strength for every point in two stats? If I trained myself with hunting only, then instead of getting five or six points from each LvL, it was possible for me to get 7 or even 8 points per LvL! Well, that's if he wanted to restrain himself with only physical fighting.

...Meh, overpowered or not, it would do me good.

So now that the first quest was complete, I could focus on the second.

Which was convincing Shirou to teach him [Structural Analysis] skill. As far as I can tell, though, the tricky part would be talking to Shirou without making Shirou feel threatened.

Maybe I could bring it up during one of our meals...

* * *

Nope, it was a bad idea. Why? Because right now, Shirou is staring at me with wide eyes, and his muscles are tense as hell as if I was going to attack him at any moment.

"Invite Emiya Shirou to Party."

Shirou looked at me confusedly for a second before a blue screen popped up right in front of him. He twitched seeing it.

"As I was saying, I only got to learn about you because my [Observe] skill had increased to rather high LvLs, which comes to the point that I possess a ability called the Gamer."

"And what do you want...?"

I smacked the back of his head. "Calm down, you idiot. You act like I'm going to kill you or something!" I hissed. "We're friends, baka."

Shirou reoriented himself before rapidly blinking.

"Good. While it is necessary, I need you to teach me how to use something called [Structural Analysis] and [Projection]. It's part of a quest that I got through the ability, you see."

Shirou blinked. "Was becoming a friend of mine a ...?" He didn't need to finish it, because I knew what he was talking about. Man, did he have paranoia as his trait? No, I don't remember seeing it.

"Nope. I actually got 'kill more rabbits' rather than that. Must mean that you rank below rabbits, huh?"

Implication: the ability thought you were worth less than killing a few rabbits to give me a quest to kill more rabbits over becoming his friend.

And he seemed to get it, because he was glaring at me.

I shrugged. "So can you teach me? I won't take offense if you don't."

"..."

"..."

"Are you going to finish that meat by the way? I don't feel like hunting today."

"No, this is mine."

"Alright."

"..."

"..."

"Fine, I'll teach it to you."

I grinned. "Sweet."

"But in exchange, I want you to build me a forge. It doesn't have to be as good as true blacksmith's forge, but good enough to smelt ores," Shirou proposed.

**New Quest!**

**Build A Forge (Shirou's Quest)**

**Requirement:**  
***Build a forge with a minimum LvL of 20 (Keep in mind that a forge's LvL determines the LvL of the forged goods made there).**

**Reward:**  
***Shirou agrees to teach you [Structural Analysis] and [Projection].**

"Huh, fancy that," Shriou said as he stared at the screen in front of me. "It actually does give you quests."

I accepted the quest. "And where would you want it, by the way?" I asked him.

Shirou seemed to ponder for a moment before he looked around. "Well, I would have to evolve first."

"I know. That's why I was taking you along on my hunts."

He looked at me funny.

"What? Everyone aside from me is super weak, we're surrounded by possibly and probably hostile forces, and we're without good shelter. I do need others to help me soon, or we're all dead."

Shriou shrugged this time. "I guess that makes sense..." he smirked slowly towards the end. "I just hope I don't become a ugly like you."

"Oi! I ain't ugly!" I retorted.

* * *

**Day 31:**

Shriou and I had decided that they would work in schedule. In the morning, he and I would train by hunting in the mountains, and in the afternoon, we would build the forge and teach me how to use [Structural Analysis] and [Projection]. In turn, it was agreed amicably that we would continue to share skills and tools as both of our interest lay within crafting.

The training involved me stationing myself as a guard of sorts while he and I separate a single high LvL monster or animal for Shirou to fight against. I decided that I would try to help him by using [Observe] to point out which targets should be within his range of combat but would reward him great amount of EXP.

* * *

**Day 34:**

We just woke up, a few days after our agreement, and found Shirou evolved.

He looked pretty much like a regular human with the exception of a single horn that came out of his forehead. He had long red hair that came down just to the sides of his jaw. His body tone was that of a soldier; it was lean and flexible. It kind of made me wonder what Shirou had been in his previous life.

"[Observe]."

**Emiya Shirou**

**Pale Oni (Humanoid Demon Lineage)**

**LvL: 21**  
**HP: 58**  
**MP: 700**

**STR: 30**  
**DEX: 23**  
**AGI: 30**  
**END: 20**  
**INT: 34**  
**WIS: 20 + 87 (Reincarnation) = 107**  
**CHA: 30**

**Power: 20  
Magic: 35  
Spirit: 27**

"Well, it seems like you got it."

Shirou looked over himself while I watched. "And you might need a pair of pants to hide your junk." I cackled afterwards as Shirou glared at me. I opened up my inventory and pulled out a deer leather pants. "Here. I prepped this few days ago for this reason."

"Thanks," he said in acknowledgement before he took the pants and pulled it on.

"Unfortunately, I couldn't guess your size, so I had to make to with adjusting strings."

And the pants showed. It was very baggie. He shrugged. "Well, you can make me another one, right?" he asked me.

I nodded. "But now that you're evolved, we're going to have to separate our roles."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when I said that we weren't safe? That we would have to increase our numbers?"

Shirou nodded as the realization dawned on his eyes. "You have to train the others."

I nodded. "Hopefully, now that I know for sure that LvL 20 is when we evolve along with other info, I can increase the number of imps I can train at a time. You, on the other hand, will need to start chopping down the trees."

"What about my training?" he asked with a frown.

I shrugged. "It's only in the morning, and once there are more of us to do the heavy work, you can go back to working on the furnace with me, if your mornings are not tiring, that is."

Shirou thought about it for a while before he nodded.

"But before all that, we're gonna have a spar to see just how good you are."

Shirou looked at me for a second before he grinned.

"Trace On."

I simply drew out my dagger and shortsword.

Both of us had a similar, bloodlust smiles.

The imps were gathering at the edge of what was now going to be the boundary of this spar.

We charged.

* * *

My sword met Shirou's white blade with a resounding clang. My hand vibrated from the sheer impact, and I saw Shirou get pushed back, just a little. I was about to press advantage, but he swung his black blade at me. I jumped back, and realized he had forced me to disengage.

He looked unhappy, though.

"What's wrong, am I too strong for you?" I taunted.

"No, one of the skills I know can't be used. There isn't enough ... circuit in this body."

I gave him a semi-sympathetic look. "Well, your loss," I said.

He took up his swords, holding them up.

I threw my dagger at his legs without a thought, but he deflected it as easily as it could appear. The dagger deflected off of the swords and flew behind Shirou.

I growled. Well, there goes half of my weapons.

Then, surprisingly, he charged at me.

He swung at me when he came in close, but I brought my sword down with all my strength at his head.

Seeing the obvious danger, he aborted his strike to bring both of his blades up. He brought them together just in time to block my strike, but his legs strained under the pressure.

I kicked him in the stomach.

He tumbled backward, but got up quickly in succession with the tumble. That was obvious sign of having been trained in martial arts, if I ever saw one.

Then he _threw _his black blade at me.

I _swatted _the sword from the underside, taking a dip in my HP, and sped forward. I then came to an abrupt stop just two meters in front of him, dodging the sword strike from my left.

I then charged forward again with a spin of my entire body, pouring all of that centripetal force on my sword for a single strike.

He jumped back, but for some reason, had his left hand outstretched. My strike missed by a hair's width, but it was strange. That hand... Like it was waiting for a boomarang?

I looked back, and saw the black blade coming back at me. I held up my shortsword, and deflected it long before it could get too close.

That's when I felt a blade tip on my back.

"I win."

I looked over my shoulder, and then grinned. "I guess so."

* * *

"You're suicidal."

Shirou grumbled. "You're the one to talk. You just tanked my sword throw!" he wheezed.

Truth be told, I was actually surprised that I could invest points into my HP. I had done it just shortly before asking him for a spar, dumping more than 20 points. But unlike what I had expected -a 1 point for 1 point HP- the system had instead given me 3 points of HP per point I invested. So I had nearly triple Shirou's own HP with double the strength.

Regardless, when I struck that flying sword with my hand, I still took 7 HP dip. So I could take a few hits in the end.

But he was just slightly faster than me.

He was able to create swords out of nothing, which I guessed were [Projection] swords. They were easily far ahead in ranks than what my dagger and shortsword could be. They were so much more. When I [Observe]d the black and white blades, I was given a history that stretched longer than I had been been alive and will be.

And then there was his suicidal martial skills. He created openings that could be so easily exploited, except that they were traps. He held his swords at shoulder level, leaving his abdomen and legs open to strikes from any longer ranged weapons. I even threw my dagger, but he saw it before his eyes saw it, and with a single spin of both of his shortswords, he deflected it.

Openings that existed to lure the enemy into striking there. Suicidal, but effective.

Ping!

**New Skill!**

**Physical Durability (LvL 1)**  
**Withstand the battlefield with your iron skin.**  
***+0.5% reduction to physical damage per LvL**

"Nice, new skill."

Shirou looked at me, turning his head to me from where he lay on the ground. "What kind?"

"**[Physical Durability]**, it's called. Gives me a 0.5% reduction to all physical damage per LvL," I replied. "So I have to get ... LvL 100 to remove half of any physical damage. Damn. Do skill LvLs even go that high?"

**LvL Up!**  
**+2 STR**  
**+2 DEX**  
**+2 AGI**

"I LvLed Up, too."

Shirou glared at me. "How do you grow so fast?" he complained. "This is completely unfair."

I shrugged. "You got your god swords. I got my growth."

He shrugged. "Guess I can't complain."

"Alright, let's get back to work."

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 34**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]**  
**LvL 28**  
**The Gamer**

**HP: 148.5 (+1.5 HP per hour regen)**  
**Mana: 590 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 57**  
**DEX: 30**  
**AGI: 26**  
**END: 28**  
**INT: 48**  
**WIS: 55**  
**CHA: 11  
Unused Points: 126**

**Spirit: 35**  
**Magic: 24**  
**Power: 24**

**Traits Taken + Earned:**  
**Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Weak, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming**

**Focus:**  
**Growing**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)**

**Skills:  
Ambush (LvL 4)  
Baiting (LvL 16)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 2)  
Charging (LvL 4)  
Clairvoyance (LvL 1)  
Crafting (LvL 1)  
Fishing (LvL 2)  
****Intimidation (LvL 3)****  
Leadership (LvL 2)  
****Listening (LvL 7)  
Physical Durability (LvL 1)  
Running (LvL 7)  
****Throwing (LvL 8)****  
Trapping (LvL 17)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys, and welcome back to Re:Gamer.**

**And to the Guest who said this Ruto was opposite of Naruto...**

**Fuck you, that's how.**

**On a more serious note though, let me ask you this: are you the same as the character you play in games? Taking Team Fortress 2, for example. I am a Korean that loves to play with words. There's nothing like that in there. There's no Asian, period. Pyro's ambiguity doesn't count here.**

**Crusader Kings II, which is where I got a lot of trait ideas from, don't reflect my personality completely. People call me humble, but I never choose humble for one of my character's traits. I choose proud and genius.**

**The point of this story is to live a life as a video game. A system that allows one to choose their own personality is the pinnacle of a RPG character. You dismissed it, so go and fuck yourself kid. **

**Besides, the character history may be from Naruto, but is Naruto a troll or a imp? No? Then why are you asking this in the first place.**

**For the rest of you who gave me constructive commentary instead of just giving me a middle finger or a dismissive scoff, go on ahead and enjoy the story. **

* * *

**Day 35:**

In the morning, I took six "brave" imps and began their training while Shirou used the hatchets I made to cut down the trees in and around our camp.

In the afternoon, we both came together and worked on our forge. I estimated that it would take less than a week to start up a rudimentary forge.

* * *

**Day 36:**

Uneventful. Aside from my own LvL Up.

* * *

**Day 37:**

Again, it was uneventful. But, the small guys did get some LvL Up's on there part. One of them reached LvL 18 today.

* * *

**Day 40:**

Finally, one of the imps evolved. Just like me, he had ended up as a troll, but he was slightly shorter than me and had smaller tusk than I did. He had dark green hair and dark green skin, a perfect combination for a forest dweller. His stat was inferior to both Shirou's stat and mine, though it was still higher than some of the average wildlife here and many of the bullywugs in the swamp valleys below. Actually, he was also that of a different "species" according to his [Observe]; the now-troll was a Forest Troll. It was actually interesting that the troll in question had surprised Ruto a bit.

It had to do with few facts.

First of all, I knew that "special characters" like myself and Shirou were stronger than regular "people" in general.

Second, it spoke of troll's hardiness as a race. Big, after all, does not mean strong. Dwarves for example are one of the smallest races to regularly interact with other races who are taller than them on average.

And what do they do for a living? Mining. One of the most physically strenuous jobs that any flesh and blood being could have for a life profession.

Remember, they are shorter than most races.

But of course, most of this knowledge was that of fantasy games whose laws and rules from my previous world that need not necessarily match that of my current world.

So to learn that trolls have so far outweighed the bullywugs in physical prowess has soothed my stressed mind. It had been something I had been wondering for a long time.

Third, despite the fact that I could see the race of others, I could not see my own. That was strange in and of itself.

And lastly, it seemed to me that trolls were did well in the forests despite their tall stature. Instinctively, the now-troll seemed to grasp the landscape of the forest better as well as how to hunt. Perhaps the last part had more to do with troll's racial trait [Beast Slaying].

But at the end of the day, I was happy for one purpose.

This new troll -whose name I had learned to be Yan- will take over the logging, and Shirou and I will finish the forge for the afternoon operations. After that, I will finally learn the two new skills that looked simply too tempting to not have.

"Uhh, boss, what do I do?" he asked me after the noon break. He still took part in the hunting with other imps as he needed to get used to his body. Whether it was because of this world's laws of nature or species special trait, Yan did adapt quickly to my demand, which was good.

"You had your fill?" I asked him.

He nodded vigorously.

I had taken into the factor that with increased size, Yan would need more food just as Shirou and I had needed more food. As such, I had used [Observe] on bushes, and gathered as much berries as I could on top of the meat the hunters of this colony -aka me, Shirou, Yan, and the imps who volunteered (they got more meat for their serving).

"Good. Then go to Shirou. He'll tell you what to do for today."

* * *

**Day 42:**

It was finished.

By the gods, the Forge was finally finished.

It took us more than a week to get it done, but was it worth it.

It was a makeshift forge at best, and we all knew it. However, the simple fact that we had accomplished one of the first aspects of a civilization with our own hands in this rugged wilderness was something ... profound.

Shirou was the one who spent most time on it, and had been built to suit himself more than not, not that I minded. I was unlikely to use it much unless I really wanted something. I could do that much later anyways. My current priority was setting up our shelter, meaning the wooden fortress.

So far, we had done that pretty well too. We had cleared out approximately a three hundred square meters worth of space. I intended to quadruple that before we begin setting up the wooden walls.

But we would need more people for the manual labor required for construction.

But few of the imps who were not with us training decided to gather berries by small parties. It was good that they were doing something for themselves.

* * *

**Day 43:**

"Okay," Shirou said as we sat down in our private clearing with the forge to my right and his left. "Before I begin to teach you about Projection, I have to explain to you the magic of my world."

I was interested in that. And I doubted it would take me long to learn it.

"Sure. I don't mind."

"The world I came from ... was kind of bitter. Magic was slowly losing its potential while the normal people around us were slowly making headway into things that only magecraft could have done just few decades before. Not only that, Gaia was attempting to kill us. It went far as to create these dangerous creatures called the True Ancestors, beings who fed on human blood as a result of their ... imperfect creation, should I say.

"Vampires?"

"Calling them vampire would be like calling a dust mite a tarantula. A single Ancestor is capable of wiping cities out within hours, small nations if they really wanted to. And unlike us, Gaia provided them with all the prana necessary and didn't interfere in their magecraft. In fact, because they were part of Gaia itself, the planet, they were able to enact Marble Phantasm. It's the ability of a True Ancestor to connect their will to nature, to interfere on probabilities, and to transfigure the surrounding world at will according to their vision of the world.

"And unlike them, us magi were just that; humans with special extra powers. We possessed something called magic circuits-"

"Hey, that sounds like a chakra network."

"Chakra?"

"Oh yeah. Uhh... I was never good at studying, so I'll have to sum it up. It's basically a mixture of physical and spiritual energy. It's something every single living being possesses without exception, but one can only use it if they were trained from young age."

"I wonder what my world would have been like with chakra."

"Probably bad. My home was filled with violence was war from the start to the end."

"Guess not then. Moving on.

"Magic Circuit is something that connects one's soul to their power, and powers our magecraft. We use the magic generated by our soul to power our magecraft, which is the artificial reenactment of a miracle... or something like that.

"Projection, or Gradation Air, which is the formal name, is one such magecraft. It produces tangible objects with our magical energy, and as such, it does not last forever."

"Huh, that's complicated. Sort of."

Shirou shrugged. "I was considered to not be the best of the magi. In fact, I would say that I was at the bottom of the spectrum, even if I did create my own magecraft."

"What did you make?"

"Tracing. It's my own version of Projection that incorporates Structural Analysis."

There was a bit of silence before I understood everything. "Okay, then let's get started on Projection. What do I do?"

"You just draw out your energy and shape it."

I blinked.

"That's it?"

"You won't be saying that once you successfully finish your first real projection."

* * *

**Day 44:**

I decided to hunt by myself today. Well, it was a mix of reconnaissance and hunting in one. I left the morning training of the imps to Yan and Shirou. Hopefully, no one will get hurt.

My LvL was now at 37. It was not high as I could have made it with decent opponents, but I had done my best with what I had. It seemed that one of the bigger settlements, especially the one I attacked, had dissolved into anarchy after I left. Now, there were much less bullywugs in the area than before.

Security had also been lax as a result, and I knew that I could easily hunt there.

And that was the reconnaissance part of this expedition: to see if bullywugs were that thoroughly occupying and patrolling the valleys.

I also came here to practice [Projection] and [Structural Analysis]. Yesterday, Shirou had taught me the basics of [Projection] that he learned from his friend -in past life- and I worked on it all day long. It took me seven hours, but once I was done with it, I no longer needed to carry around my weapons at the cost of my mana, which was useless until now anyway.

Apparently, [Structural Analysis] was so similar to [Observe] that it added to [Observe]'s capabilities, allowing me to see the makeup of objects.

I traveled slowly by foot on the forest floor, and watched as the trees in the mountains start to grow taller as I made my way down.

By the time my foot touched the swamp, the canopies had risen by thrice compared to what I was used to in the mountains. But by no means was this place open. There were shrubs and bushes everywhere, concentrated in areas where sunlight penetrated the canopy above. There were puddles everywhere, and there were large tracts of mud. Moss, in particular, was everywhere.

I pulled out my bow and arrow, whose quality was of Normal, and readied myself for any kind of confrontation.

One of the new skills I had learned was the [Sonar]. I got really curious with how bats in one of the mountain caves looked in the deep darkness of the caves. So I used [Observe] on them until I found the information.

Sounds, apparently. I tried to mimic it, and did very poorly for five days. Everyone stared at me as if I had finally gone crazy, not if I had.

I shrugged it off. At least I explained it to Shirou, who seemed to understand what I was trying to do.

Instead of looking at me as if I was crazy, he gave me stares of pity.

Ouch.

But I managed it yesterday in the dark.

It was still LvL 1, but it allowed me to map out a very vague 3D map of the world around me. The current range was set at 5 meters. So no melee ambush can get me ... I hoped.

But I was actively using it, and hopefully, its LvL will rise up pretty fast.

_crunch_

The footstep was soft, and it was not mine; I was standing still ever since I entered the swamp.

It was also outside of my [Sonar]'s range, which meant that I had no idea who and where the sound was coming from outside of general direction ... which was directly in front of me.

crunch crunch crunch

...Wide feet, multiple landings, suggesting it was at least quad-pedal in nature.

Crunches were from leaves and twigs, suggesting it was using only land for travel so far.

I crouched down low.

It was passing by where I was, so I made myself small as possible.

...

Could it smell me?

I nocked the arrow on the string, and pulled it back just slightly.

Then it appeared in my [Sonar].

It was long like a lizard, but it stood at a five feet at its shoulder, making it almost as tall as me should it raise its head. It had three pairs of legs, each of which were powerfully muscled.

It was looking for something, but I was covered by the numerous bushes and shrubs that it could not see me.

"[Observe]."

**Young Basilisk (LvL 45)**

**HP: 550**

**STR: 100**  
**DEX: 47**  
**AGI: 38**  
**END: 55**  
**INT: 10**  
**WIS: 7**  
**CHA: 6**

**Description:  
Basilisks are one of the most dangerous creatures inhabit the swamp. They feed on anything and everything that comes across their path. Like their cousin Komodo Dragons, Basilisks carry pools of bacteria in their mouth that will guarantee infection with a single bite.**

And it was fucking powerful. Holy shit, 100 strength? How much damage was that? And it was faster than me! And it would infect me? That was in no way good.

...

But... But...

If I killed this thing, how much EXP would I gain? For a single fight, could I even gain multiple LvLs like before? It was obviously beyond my status, but could I?

I pondered for a bit before I made my choice.

I pulled my arrow back, infusing bit of magic, and fired.

* * *

I watched in slow-motion as the arrow flew from my bow, jerking side to side as it flew.

Then time resumed normally, and I heard a thwack! The basilisk twisted around itself, jerking its head side to side trying to find who hurt it. The arrow had struck the scales in its neck, and it bled little.

**-40 Physical Damage**

**Ping!**

**New Skill!**  
**Archery [LvL 1]**  
**Headshot is too easy. Eyeball shot, it is!**  
***+1% of Critically Striking per LvL**  
***+1 arrow shot without sacrificing accuracy every 15 LvL**  
***+(your DEX - target's DEX*2) + DEX - 10% per (Archery LvL)*0.1 kilometer**  
***Double EXP gain for Archery if kills are made with Headshots or Neckshots**  
***Triple EXP for Archery if kills are made with Eyeshots**

I dismissed it without skimming over it properly. All I got was that my archery was better than before. Really, the shot I made several nights ago was complete shot in the blind. Perhaps I had a lot of luck... something I have yet to see in this world's status screens.

I quickly pulled out another arrow, nocked it, and let it loose.

The second arrow ripped through bushes, and struck the basilisk on the thigh.

**Young Basilisk (HP: 520/550)**

"Well, damn," I muttered. My arrows did only 10 damage to it without me getting striking anything soft.

In hindsight, I should not have spoken anything.

The basilisk honed in on my voice, and charged at me.

I became more alert immediately, and I climbed up the tree right next to me without hesitation. The basilisk slammed into the base of the tree, and it shook. Unfortunately for the basilisk, it also stunned itself in its wild charge.

I took this point to tightly wrap my legs around the tree trunk while holding out my bow and nocking the arrow. I aimed for its eye, and fired.

It missed, but it did get its jaw.

It snapped out of its stun, and screeched at me.

I stuck my tongue out in return.

I fired another shot, but this time, the basilisk dodged.

Then it body slammed the tree, and it shook. A lot.

My grip slipped, and I felt myself fall. Without hesitation, I stopped nocking, letting the arrow go free to wherever it will, and latched unto the tree with both of my arms.

The basilisk slammed into the tree several more times before it gave up and walked away ... or would have had I not shot it again, this time on its back.

It let out a roar and went back to slamming itself in the tree.

I [Observe]d.

**Young Basilisk: 510/550**

This was going to take a while.

* * *

I had gotten it down to 260 HP before it decided to cut its losses and fled.

I quickly got down and chased after it, landing arrows after arrows as long as it was within my range. But more than half of the arrows I made with [Projection] missed or struck tree trunks and other obstacles. Thankfully, I would never run out of mundane arrows, as Shirou called them, because they only cost 1.5 MP to make.

The basilisk jumped out of a dense growth, and fell down a small hill.

I quickly chased after it, but the moment I jumped out of the bushes, my eyes widened.

It was a village.

With bullywugs.

Watching me.

...Didn't know there was a bullywug village so close.

"Shit."

"CRRRAAHHHH!"

That sounded like "get him!"

"Crap."

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 40**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]**  
**LvL 37**  
**The Gamer**

**HP: 168.5 (+1.5 HP per hour regen)**  
**Mana: 590 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 81**  
**DEX: 38**  
**AGI: 35**  
**END: 38**  
**INT: 59**  
**WIS: 60**  
**CHA: 20  
Unused Points: 166**

**Spirit: 35**  
**Magic: 24**  
**Power: 24**

**Traits Taken + Earned:**  
**Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Weak, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming**

**Focus:**  
**Growing**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)**

**Skills:  
Archery (LvL 1)  
Ambush (LvL 7)  
Baiting (LvL 21)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 4)  
Charging (LvL 7)  
Clairvoyance (LvL 1)  
Crafting (LvL 2)  
Fishing (LvL 6)  
****Intimidation (LvL 7)****  
Leadership (LvL 7)  
****Listening (LvL 12)  
Observe (LvL 40) + Structural Analysis  
Physical Durability (LvL 1)  
Projection (LvL 2)  
Running (LvL 14)  
Sonar (LvL 2)  
****Throwing (LvL 10)****  
Trapping (LvL 19)**


	11. Chapter 11

**To the reviewer who wrote about the weak trait:**

**It was Depression that was downgraded to stressed, I has not been removed, so you can guess that Ruto's body cannot take full advantage of all the points he has invested into the points even if his skills are not affected. However, expect it to be removed soon.**

**Alright guys...**

**Enjoy the story.**

* * *

**Day 44 (continued):**

As soon as my feet touched the floor, I whirled around back towards the swampy forest, only to see that the distance I had fallen as just a bit out of reach from my hands.

"Crap," I muttered once more as I turned back, projecting two shortswords into my grasp.

The bullywug villagers had quickly gone back and gotten their weapons, which was surprisingly fast in my opinion. They were advancing on both me and the basilisk.

'[Observe].'

I looked over the bullywugs who were cautiously approaching me for a moment, taking in all of their stats.

Their average HP was around 110, which was not much. Their STR was around 30, which was once again not that much.

...

Hell, there was nothing too significant about them aside from their number; there were about thirty or so bullywugs here.

Scoffing, I straightened my back, and unleashed the [Intimidation].

I let out a thundering roar for three seconds before stopping. I could hear the birds flying away, and the basilisk seemed to be hesitating in moving too. Huh, did I scare that thing too?

I crouched down, and readied myself to jump. Strategically, I was in a bad position with -

Since when did I think on terms of strategy and tactics? Perhaps the high WIS and INT combined allowed me to start strategizing better?

Regardless, I was outnumbered in this three-side fight with a wall to my back. I had four-fifths of my mana reserve, and my HP was at near max.

Range was the better option for me.

Without thinking further, I jumped backward, pushing as much as I can into the legs with the 80+ strength I had.

My muscles strained just a milisecond before the jump, but I jumped over and onto the ledge where I had fallen from. I dispelled the projected shortswords in favor of the bow and arrow.

I began firing without stopping.

The bullywugs moved at the same time I had, and they charged the basilisk, which they had considered to be the bigger threat. In response, the basilisk roared and tore up the first bullywug that got into the range of its snapping jaws.

My arrows struck at the bullywugs who were coming for me. They flew and pierced the flimsy linen shirts and worn leather jackets they wore with ease, and blood flew from where the arrowheads pierced the skin. Worse was that once they struck, my arrows would disappear, leaving behind a hole where blood can freely flow out.

**New Quest!**

**Wipe out the Bullywugs of Thorn-Tree Tribe!**

**Thron-Tree Tribe has long been known as one of the most vigorous raiders on human settlements and trading caravans. Hated by many, loved by none, no one will miss them.**

**Requirement:**  
***Kill all Bullywugs in the clearing.**  
***Do not let any escape to warn the main tribe's population.**

**Reward:**  
***Title: Bullywug Slayer**  
***+10 Reputation with local human population**  
***+5 skill points.**  
***+Loot**

**Failure:**  
***Increased Bullywug patrol in Thron-Tree territory**  
***Increased detection rate**  
***-100 Reputation with Thron-Tree Bullywug Tribe**  
***-50 Reputation with all Bullywug tribes**  
***+75 Reputation with Red-Painted-Head Bullywug Tribe**

I grinned. Not bad. Failure sounded like something I couldn't afford though. Such low reputation might cause all of the bullywugs to start a hunt for me. If it got serious enough, they might even invade the mountain when we weren't ready for them.

That means each my arrows had to kill without missing.

Instead of projecting regular arrows, I imagined a ticking timebomb of mana -prana, Shirou called it- inside the arrow.

**-5 MP**

Huh, that took five times as much mana than a regular arrow.

I nocked the arrow, which looked no different without closer observation, and let it loose.

It was heavier but flew like any regular arrow, and struck a bullywug in the back, one that looked like it wanted to run away.

Its torso promptly exploded.

Everything paused, and blinked.

Hell, I paused too.

**-30 Ether Damage**  
**-80 Explosive Damage**

Well damn.

I snapped out of the shock faster than anyone else, and made ten more.

"You aren't leaving here alive!" I roared as I let loose another explosive arrow.

The bullywugs finished the basilisk by the time the arrow had exploded, and now they were all coming for me. They climbed the ridge from the sides while those in the middle used the dead bodies of their comrades as shields.

I looked left and right, noticing the bullywugs get up pretty fast to the same ground level as me.

They wanted to flank me.

Without looking further, I let loose another four arrows to those in the middle, taking out six total thanks to proximity.

But a few had started to run away.

Couldn't let that happen, now could I?

I whirled around with a projected longsword just as a bullywug to my left reached me, and before it could strike me with its makeshift hatchet, I sliced its stomach apart. Then without pausing, I spun back around, having noticed the bullywug to my back, and made another slice. The bullywug cried as its chest sliced open, and it fell over to the side. There was a crunch as its neck snapped as it hit the ground.

Then I did something else Shirou had taught me.

_Flashback_

_It was immediately after I had done my tenth projection perfectly that Shirou stopped me._

_"What is it?"_

_Shirou remained silent for a minute before he nodded. "I don't know whether or not this skill will work for you, but I want to teach you this anyway."_

_I frowned. I had already been taught Structural Analysis. Actually, this was great! I would have skill I could use! I smiled. "Sure. What is it?"_

_"It's called Reinforcement."_

_Flashback End_

"[Reinforcement]!" I growled as I felt my mana reserve take a dip.

_Flashback_

_I gasped as I tried to stand up._

_Shirou was looking at me in surprise._

_"What the hell was that?" I groaned._

_Flashback End_

I learned that Reinforcement was not a compatible magecraft with me. In fact, it was so incompatible with me that it was actually took ten times more mana to use it.

-100 MP

But this was too powerful for me to not use.

Jagged lines appeared on my skin with a single whirlpool on my stomach lighting up like a lamp. The lines ran through the entirety of my limbs and body.

"[Full Body: Speed]!" I growled as I felt my body burn up.

I jumped forward like a bullet. My eyes could barely keep up with the speed that I was moving at. I guess that was the price I paid for using a technique I was unfamiliar with.

I dismissed the longsword mid-flight, and projected two daggers.

I stabbed and slashed anything that got within my range as I raced through their numbers.

They were too slow for me. All of their attempt to stop me only got themselves killed.

By the time there was only fifteen left, they had begun to run.

I dropped the daggers, and projected the arrows. Then my speed kicked in, and I fired off arrows after arrows.

I imagine it would look like a hail of arrow from any bystanders point of view, or even that of the bullywugs.

I saw the arrows pierce through the bodies of the bullywugs, and the last one died with an arrow through its neck.

Quest Complete!

**Reward:**  
***Title: Bullywug Slayer**  
***+10 Reputation with local human population**  
***+5 skill points.**  
***+25 Bullywug Bone Collar (turn it in into human authorities for reward)**

**LvL Up!  
+2 END  
+2 DEX  
+2 AGI  
**

**LvL Up!  
+2 END  
+2 DEX  
+2 AGI**

I laughed. This was ridiculously easy...

Perhaps I should go for more?

I looked up, and frowned as I saw the sun tilt to the side heavily.

Guess not.

I grabbed the dead basilisk, slung it over my shoulder, and walked back to the colony.

* * *

When I returned to the camp, I found Yan and Shirou discussing something. They had a roughly sketched ... something between them on the ground with a stick that I guessed was used to draw it sticking up.

Other imps were watching them, and the atmosphere was somewhat tense. Not overly, but just enough to give me a sense of warning.

"What's up?" I asked them as I tossed the basilisk down.

Everyone jumped when there was a mini-tremor from the drop of the basilisk, and they stared at the seven foot long creature.

It was Yan who turned to me first. "Your right hand man here has no idea how to build a fort," he growled.

I could only blink. This was a first. Yan had been overly cheerful and obedient with me that this was a new side of him that I had not seen before. I cocked my head to the side, ad sat down.

Shirou turned to me as well. "What Yan suggests we do is too standard, and makes no use of the mountainous advantage that we have."

I gestured for them to sit down, and they did so. "Okay then," I began. "Explain to me what's going on."

"Shirou here wants us to build a fort on the side of a cliff."

"Yan recommended that we build a fort on a mountain peak."

Okay, so both of them wanted to help me build the fort, but wanted to convince everyone that their idea was the better one -or at least convince me, if their openness to discuss their plans with me; I didn't see either of them trying to convince the imps, but I could've missed out on that.

Well, both of their plans were ... not mine, but I could at least hear them out, right? If I don't, I might hurt their pride.

Ping!

Your logical thinking process and action has increased your WIS by 1.

Cool.

"Alright, explain," I said.

Yan was the first to speak. "I think building on top of a small peak would do us better than here or side of a cliff. Not only will we be able to see the enemy coming at us from all directions, we can observe the region without an issue. Building on the side of a cliff is asking to be cornered. Out here, we're too exposed and we can't see everything that comes at us thanks to the trees."

I nodded. It did make sense.

"We can always dig tunnels if we build to the side of a cliff," Shirou began. "We can even make escape tunnels that way, and we won't have to look elsewhere for mining because we have our own tunnels. Not only that, we won't have to worry about having to defend all sides of the fort like the hill fort needs to. We only need to defend 3/4 of the walls, because the other 1/4 is the cliff behind us." Building on top of the mountain is too reckless. Sure we can see the enemy coming, but they can clearly see us too."

That also made sense.

"Yeah, and your cliff fort won't have any supplies or forests to hunt around," Yan criticized. "And what if they throw rocks down at us?"

"And your hill fort is too visible. We aren't strong enough for that kind of attention."

"And both of you are forgetting about logistics," I commented.

They paused and looked at me.

"Building on top of a small peak would mean cold. I don't now about you, but have you been in cold for a long time?" I told Yan and then turned to Shirou. "The fort you are mentioning has great defense, but it would limit us on terms of food supply. This applies a little to you too, Yan. Both of your forts would force the hunters to go far and wide, and being next to a cliff or on top of a mountain is an invitation for natural hazard."

Thank you WIS and INT!

"But I'm sure we'll be able to build something that could give us both visibility and defense. How about this? We look for a place that has both a small cliff but is higher up in the elevation. If the area has good soil, that'll be good too."

The two of them seemed to think about it before reluctantly nodding.

I just grinned back at their resigned expression. You don't get everything you want, ya know?

"And I'm sure our friends can help us with that," I said to the rest of the imps as I went over to the basilisk. "Of course, search comes after food and sleep. So we won't be doing anything but lazying and eating until tomorrow."

There were lots of happy grin.

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 44**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]**  
**LvL 39**  
**The Gamer**

**HP: 168.5 (+1.5 HP per hour regen)**  
**Mana: 590 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 81**  
**DEX: 42**  
**AGI: 39**  
**END: 42**  
**INT: 59**  
**WIS: 60**  
**CHA: 20  
Unused Points: 178**

**Spirit: 35**  
**Magic: 24**  
**Power: 24**

**Traits Taken + Earned:**  
**Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Weak, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming**

**Focus:**  
**Growing**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)**

**Skills:  
Archery (LvL 1)  
Ambush (LvL 7)  
Baiting (LvL 21)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 4)  
Charging (LvL 7)  
Clairvoyance (LvL 1)  
Crafting (LvL 2)  
Fishing (LvL 6)  
****Intimidation (LvL 7)****  
Leadership (LvL 7)  
****Listening (LvL 12)  
Observe (LvL 40) + Structural Analysis  
Physical Durability (LvL 1)  
Projection (LvL 2)  
Running (LvL 14)  
Sonar (LvL 2)  
****Throwing (LvL 10)****  
Trapping (LvL 19)**


	12. Chapter 12

**So I'm a fucking fanboy when it comes to Paradox Interactive Games. Found out about a week ago that a new game called Stellaris will come out, and Paradox is the BEST grand strategy game producer and developer, so I am Fucking. Hyped. Up.**

**Enjoy the new chapter.**

* * *

**Day 46:**

I fucking hate this. I really do.

"Of all the days for the day to be hot... It had to be today," I growled as he toiled through the dense forest of the mountains.

I felt a bit bad for the rest of the colony as well. Under my orders, they had gone out in search of a place to build our new shelter. I felt bad for them because they could've been using this time to train and collect food instead of toiling under this hot sun. Was it summer now?

Unlike the others, I had come alone to the other side of the mountain that we had temporarily settled on. It was also close to the cliff where we had looked upon the region. Thankfully, I had not seen any hostile creatures around here so far.

So this was what I was planning.

1\. Find a new spot to build. While at it, find more imps to recruit.  
2\. Help the evolution of several other imps to trolls or onis before starting the construction.  
3\. Finish construction of fort.  
4\. Secure our "clan" as the dominant force of this particular mountain.  
5\. Search for allies to take on the bullywugs.  
6\. Make a city-state(?).

I had thought of the list on a whim this morning, but it was a solid enough outline of what we needed to do.

The particular bit about finding ally had come up when I remembered that killing Bullywugs the a few days had increased my reputation with _human _settlers in the area. That meant that even if I didn't know, my ability had abilities that were much more penetrating of the world around than what I could do. It was actually a scary thought that one.

Regardless about my own ability, I came to a conclusion that bullywugs were probably going to engage in hostile raids upon my clan once we grow big enough to become visible. And I couldn't have that. So raising good relationships with the local friendly cities would help me and my clan survive better in this world.

The idea of the city-state had come from when I had thought about the boring history books I had come across in the previous world; I was actually surprised that I could even remember such things - perhaps my increased WIS and INT were helping with those previous "data" but I would probably never know the indepth mysterious of how my ability, the Gamer, works.

Back to the knowledge from other universes, the one about the _History of Aerok Empire_ by that asshole of a shopkeeper had come to my mind frequently. According to the book, Aerok Empire had originated in a part of the world where centralized government didn't exist.

That led to my thinking about government.

What was our clan becoming? Right now, it was composed of four medium-sized and more than thirty smaller sized members. It was a nomadic group so far, but for how long? We were a nomadic group surrounded by hostile frog people whose very description was "torment others for pleasure." If we were to not die and gather power, we would either have to be individually strong and form loose bonds, but we weren't individually strong. I know that I was OP plz nerf thanks to my Gamer ability and Shirou was strong because he was a reincarnation of a super strong hero or something like that, but the rest weren't. To keep my clan together we would need a system of government that would keep people in line and safe, especially so because Shirou -from what I remember- was going to be insistent in taking people in. He said so himself.

'We must help those we can.'

I agreed, but it was feasibly impossible right now with current resources.

Which leads us back to the fortress.

Whose birth ground still eludes me, even though I have spent the better part of the day searching for it.

Urgh, how is this so much harder than Crafting?!

...

I should've just hunted, instead.

* * *

When I returned to the campsite without much fruit for my efforts, Yan and Shirou looked happy and even friendly if their avid but loose conversation was anything to show.

I invited them to sit around me as we cooked and ate our basilisk meat, and told them to report what they saw.

"So, what did you guys find?" I asked them as I pulled off the largest remaining leg for my meal.

Shirou opened his mouth first. "Well, both of our groups found the same place, and it was pretty good, I think."

I tilted my head to the side.

"We call the place Twin Peak Pass because it's right in between two peaks. You can see them from here, I think," he said as he looked to the west. I followed his gaze, and saw what he was looking at.

Compared to some of the mountains in the region, the two peaks were a small thing. They were tall enough that from where we were, we could see the peaks -just barely- but if anyone in the valley were to attempt to look at it, they would find their immediate mountainside blocking their view.

"Okay, go on."

It was Yan who continued for the two. "We also found good lumber in the area. Thick, heavy, and straight."

"The soil is very fertile. It's not compact at all, filled to the brim with worms, and if the smell was anything to go off it, it actually had some mana circulating in it."

I blinked. "Wait, seriously?"

Now, I knew what Shirou was suggesting rather bluntly; the area was saturated in enough mana that the _soil _of all things had mana in them. Not only would this make the area a very good place to set up mana-intensive magical defenses, it can be used to grow rare magical herbs and creatures if we ever get to domestication. Even if we didn't settle right there, it would be prudent for us to stake our claim in the area before anyone else did.

Shirou nodded. "But what I found to be more interesting were the natural caves." He then reached into his knapsack, something I made for him (Shirou had tried to make one on his own, but for some reason anything that weren't shaped like swords ended up being a failure for him. Well, swords and foods). From the bag, he pulled out a ... crystal?

The crystal was as big as his palm, but it glowed lightly under the late afternoon sky. "I found these in the caves, and whenever you channel mana into them..." With that, he did as he said, and the glow became stronger and stronger until it was the brightest thing in the camp.

"Well, damn," I muttered after he put it away. There were a lot of resources in that area.

"Structural Analysis on the caves also revealed that it had a heavy iron and small amounts of gold," he added. "There were also iron-heavy gravels in the less vegetation filled areas, so I don't think it'll be completely necessary to push for mining operations for now."

I nodded. That was always a welcome news. I know that mining is an intensive work with too much hazard for a small group like ours. To know that we won't have to go down the caverns for mining was a relief.

The discussion went on with the three of us, and I really hoped this would turn out to be alright.

* * *

**Day 47:**

I came with Yan and Shirou the first thing to the spot they were talking about along with the imps that accompanied them.

The Twin Peak Pass -as we all decided to call it- was a wide stretch of land between two slopes that ended with the peaks. The area itself was lightly wooded, but the woods themselves were thick and strong, but the adjacent area was packed with trees. The soil itself seemed to be nice as well. My hands easily dug in, and the fresh smell of dirt was strikingly powerful.

And the magic in the air...

I thought about how we could use it, and then I suddenly had an idea.

'Reinforcement,' I mentally intoned.

Jagged green lines glowed lightly underneath my skin. I looked at my mana bar, and confirmed that it did not decrease. I deactivated the spell.

I looked at the area again. It was wide enough to snugly fit in a very small city. It was slightly slanted towards the west, but I didn't find it to be a bad mark about the site.

"Seems good enough. Just like what you told me."

The two of them grinned.

"Let's bring our people over here, then. No time to waste."

It took the three of us two or so hours to get back to our camp, and got our clan to move. Due to there being elderly imps as well, it took time to start moving, but by noon, we were all setting out to our new home.

The slow procession took about four hours, and by the time we arrived, the sun was tilting heavily to the west.

Guess the actual construction would have to wait.

* * *

**Day 48:**

Much to my delight, two more imps evolved. One became a troll like me, and another became a Oni like Shirou. I used [Observe] on them all, and saw that the trolls generally had more Stregnth, Endurance, and Power while the Oni had better Agility and Dexterity. So I sent Shirou and Yan out to hunt while the trolls, me, the new troll (whose name was Dodo), and Yan, began to chop down the trees.

After the first tree fell, we cut off the branches. Thick branches were saved for other uses while smaller ones went to fuel the fire.

It was there I realized something.

I couldn't lift the lumber by myself.

Now as a very wise troll (*coughcough*), I knew that this would not help with the speed of the construction. It would take all three of us to move the lumber, and we would have to go back to chopping down trees after being exhausted. No, it would not do.

So I looked at the points I had ... and dumped half of it into strength and endurance.

Taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap-.

**Ping!**

**[You've reached 100 Strength! Removing Weak trait!]**

... I blinked. It was all I could do.

Then it was like my muscles were spasmming. Nothing was happening on the surface, but I could feel the muscles all over my body tighten and coil up like a spring.

When it was done, my body felt ... heavier. For sure, it was heavier. It also felt slightly more bulkier yet lighter.

All thanks to ten points into strength so far.

Derp.

**[Power Overwhelming]** was indeed Overwhelming.

I threw in another twenty points into STR and END each, increasing STR by a total of 80 after the Weak trait's disappearance.

Ping!

New Trait!

**[Trait: "Strength is Key"**  
***Every 10 points of STR increases HP by 5 points.]**

I peeked at my HP, and gawked as I stared at my now 278 points of HP. Forget, LvLing Up like crazy, I needed to spend my points!

Just as a test, I walked over to the lumber. It was a nine foot tree trunk that could probably crush any other troll or oni if it fell on it. I gulped as I placed my hands on it. My heart was pounding, and then I -!

...

I stared at the lumber in my hands. My arms were straining, for sure, but it wasn't life-threatening or anything like that. This was too easy!

I dropped it... and proceeded to dance. "Oh yeah, oh yeah. Who's the boss? Who's the boss?!"

When I stopped, I found both Yan and Dodo staring at me in confusion. I blushed in embarrassment and told them to cut down more trees of similar size.

Then I dumped another ten points to END and STR again. Then I decided that being a rounded individual would be better and dumped the rest of the points evenly to the rest of the stats, leaving me with just 8 points.

With no more delays, I hefted the lumber and made it over to the camp, where the imps gawked at me as I passed by them, and ceremoniously dropped the tree trunk as if it was a sack of potato.

The resulting tremor made me realize that it was me that got stronger, not the world that got weaker.

When I came back, the duo were still chopping away at the base of the tree.

I shrugged, and waited for them.

'Actually...' I thought as I stood up. I walked over to a tree whose trunk was slightly bent. It was unfit for use as part of the wall, but I was sure if I got to chop it down that we'll find a use for it.

So I wrapped my arms around it and pulled-!

..

...

...!

...!

I let out a explosive gasp as I backed off from the tree. "Nope, I can't pull that out of the ground so easily," I muttered to myself.

* * *

By noon, we have ten logs of eight to nine foot tall trees, and I was going to start staking them into the ground.

It was at that time that Shirou and the new Oni who went by Dori -a girl!- returned from the hunt.

Shirou was dressed in basilisk leather armor, a black slick looking thing that I had the pleasure of personally stitching together. He had no weapon on him, as he used Tracing to do so, but he had a deer slung over his shoulder.

Dori wore a deer leather armor, one I made for her, that fit loosely around herself. She held a bow, but from the way she held it, she was still unused to hunting with it. Eh, she'll get used to it in time. She had a deer slung over her shoulder as well, but it was significantly smaller than the one Shirou carried.

"Nice timing. Everyone is hungry as hell," I remarked as I stood up.

Shirou froze when he saw me standing up. Then he spoke. "Wow, what happened to you?"

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

Shirou looked at me once over before scoffing. "You went from a tall, skinny, red skinned troll to a tall, muscular, red skinned troll.

My frown became deeper. Well, I knew that investing in all those points had changed my body but I didn't notice much difference. So how did he?

Shirou put up a hand before letting it down again. "Honestly, it's not that big of a change. But if you just stop and look, it's quite visible."

So that's what I did. I stopped and just stared down at myself.

I heard Shirou sigh. "For someone so intelligent, he's sometimes not right in the head."

Once we were done with our lunch, we got back to work again, this time with Shirou working alongside us.

Shirou dug the holes where the lumber was going to be placed into vertically. I would then move the lumber into place, staking it into the ground about two feet in. Then I would go back to where Dodo and Yan were chopping down the wood, and move any logs that they had prepared.

By the end of the day, we had a third of our wall prepared right next to the caverns where Shirou found the glowing crystals.

* * *

**Day 49:**

The moment we woke up, I had us working on the fort walls again. I pushed all of us hard. We only ate between the works. We only rested when it was impossible to go forward. Imps flew by us, supplying us with our food and water.

But by the end of the day, we all watched as I pushed in the last of the lumber into the last section of the wall.

It was complete.

Bathed in red of the setting sun, we all looked upon our new home. There was nothing inside it; we had no time for that yet. The wall, however, was complete. It wasn't much compared to what I knew of the world beyond our simple forest, but it was a magnificent structure that WE had built. It was the product of our hands.

And we were all proud of it.

Ping!

**New Skill!**

**Construction (Crafting Subskill) (LvL 1)**  
**Buildings are quite different from hatchet making... Don't move that cornerstone, you idiot!**  
***Quality of constructs dependent on LvL of this skill.**  
***-1% decrease in construction time**

Cool.

With that, I keeled over along with the rest of the secondary evolutions.

We were so tired, even if it was worth it.

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 49:**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]**  
**LvL 39**  
**The Gamer**

**HP: 168.5(+120) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)**  
**Mana: 590 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 231**  
**DEX: 72**  
**AGI: 69**  
**END: 102**  
**INT: 79**  
**WIS: 80**  
**CHA: 40  
Unused Points: 8**

**Spirit: 35**  
**Magic: 24**  
**Power: 24**

**Traits Taken + Earned:**  
**Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key**

**Focus:**  
**Growing**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)**

**Skills:  
Archery (LvL 1)  
Ambush (LvL 7)  
Baiting (LvL 21)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 4)  
Charging (LvL 7)  
Clairvoyance (LvL 1)  
Crafting (LvL 3) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Fishing (LvL 6)  
****Intimidation (LvL 7)****  
Leadership (LvL 9)  
****Listening (LvL 14)  
Observe (LvL 40) + Structural Analysis (Reveals Physical/Chemical/Magical properties of target if LvL of Observe is high enough)  
Physical Durability (LvL 2)  
Projection (LvL 2)  
Running (LvL 15)  
Sonar (LvL 3)  
****Throwing (LvL 10)****  
Trapping (LvL 19)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Day 50:**

We were working again today, but this time our roles differed a lot.

Shirou, who retained much of his knowledge from his old world, was given the job of educating and training the imps.

Yan and Dodo, who were suited to do manual labor, volunteered to gather iron gravel littering the area, for I was sure that we were going to need the iron. To help them, I went and made each of them a leather backpack. Shirou was very adamant about this as well because he wanted to work on his smithing techniques.

Dori, the only girl so far, learned the basics of tilling the soil and with a hoe that I made her, was working on the plots of land surrounding the fort walls to prepare them for planting.

I decided that I was going to chop down more lumber and transport them for further construction projects like houses and towers inside the fort.

The fort's specification so far was that it was barely eight foot tall with a internal radius of fifteen meters. As it was, bullywugs -with their small stature and slippery limbs- would not be able to overcome this fort so easily. But still, it was a little vexing to know that the wall was only a little over foot and a half taller than I was. Even if I did feel proud of making it, it was _small_.

Once Dodo and Yan returned with sizable quantity of iron gravel, Shirou threw them into a new oven -I don't even know when he built another one so soon and without my help too- and began to pump in broken sticks and leaves as he fanned the air. It didn't take long before Shirou had made his first iron shortsword.

We ate the food that we had gathered the day before, and went to sleep feeling very productive.

* * *

**Day 53:**

Three of the imps and our sole Veshta Nerada evolved. Now, we had six trolls, two onis, and a single Faze.

I was pretty surprised by what the Veshta Nerada had turned into. Faze, from what my [Observe] told described them as, were a race of humanoids often mistaken for demons despite the fact that they were closer to humans than other humanoids like elves, fairies, trolls, and undead were. In fact, the only difference between humans and Fazes were that the latter was highly compatible with shadow- and darkness-related elements, allowing them to live and travel in the "invert world." There wasn't much information about the invert world, but I got the gist of it.

Our Faze looked like a human adolescent girl in her late teens. Due to her "shadowy" nature, she was able to conjure her own clothes from the shadow, but I ended up making her a set of deer leather clothes anyway. Her eyes had no iris nor sclera; everything was black with a hint of white at the very center of her eyes. I suspected that those white dots were the Faze's version of pupils.

She had short, ebony hair, and they fluttered lightly up and down like fire. Her skin was dark compared to what I ever saw on a human. If she were to stand in any shade or shadow, the shadow would be shining like a candlelight.

And she called herself Candy. Additionally, her voice was no longer a comprised of multiple tones. But neither did she sound feminine. That isn't to say masculine. No, she just sounded ... there. Neither male nor female -despite her body clearly demonstrating otherwise- and definitely not a scratchy voiced adolescent.

She's very confusing.

Eh.

As long as she could contribute to the clan, he didn't mind.

"So today, we're going to go and make a map!" I declared.

Everyone looked at me, some confused and others in agreement. Those who were confused were mostly composed of the natives here; guys and girls who unfortunately did not get an education. The other half -really three people- was the elderly imp, Shirou, and Yan. Yan had more education thanks to Shirou who taught the second troll to evolve what he considered basics. He couldn't write yet, but he did learn from Shirou some tactics, and Yan knew -after failing some hunts- that knowing the area was a very important piece if you wanted to survive.

Or at least I hoped that such a thought was what Yan had in his mind. Or whatever time Shirou used to teach him -and I know what Shirou taught him- would have been for naught.

"I got the east," Shirou said as he stood up, having finished his breakfast of deep soup first. "I'll also be hunting a little. The lack of variety in our meals has been upsetting me."

I grinned. I liked Shirou's cooking, however low quality it may be due to the lack of ingredients available. "You got it," I replied easily. "But do take someone with you."

Shirou nodded, and picked up one of the newly evolved trolls with him.

I turned to Dori, Dodo, and Yan. "Well, considering that none of you are good at making maps or anything similar, what are you guys going to be doing?" I asked of them.

Yan stood up. "I'm going to go and collect some more iron gravel. Big Brother Shirou told me that he'd like some more," he said as he walked over to where he had left the leather backpacks. Dodo nodded and hurried along after Yan.

I turned to Dori after I waved them goodbye as they left the fort. "What are you going to be doing then?"

She fidgeted. "Well, I was thinking about ... just tending to the farm?" she asked/stated.

"I highly doubt anything is growing, though," I replied skeptically.

"Then I'll go out into the forest and see what I can find."

She stood up to leave the fort like the others, but I held her back with a raise of my hands.

"I want you to go and find if there is any good source of water. Like river or lake."

She blinked. "Why?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Since you just evolved, I guess you wouldn't notice. Because of our size, we need a lot more water than we did before. So far, we have been using animal blood to hydrate ourselves with a few pouches of water here and there that the imps gather for us, but what happens if all the imps evolve?"

"We'll need a lot more water," she replied, slowly understanding where I was heading. "But what about the animals?"

"Then we would have to kill a lot of animals to keep ourselves sated, and I don't think that's a good idea, not to mention that there will be flies everywhere."

She nervously chuckled. "I guess... So you want me to find water?"

I nodded. "But do keep yourself safe and don't wander too far out."

She nodded, and headed out as well.

"Guess I should be moving too."

Before heading out, I walked to Shirou's new furnace. Or more specifically, the grindstone right next to it that he had finished putting together this morning. It was a simple pedal-spun, roundstone grinder. Shirou was upset that he couldn't find any good grindstone material. He graciously accepted his inability, though, and made up with this.

It was still good grinder as far as I was concerned, especially for non-metal hatchets like the one I was holding.

I saw down in front of it, and ground the edge of my hatchet.

After that I spent the rest of my day chopping wood and moving them back to the fort. By the time I had moved twelve logs, Shirou had come back from his scouting mission with a roughly sketched map on a deer hide, and was teaching the imps again.

I smirked. 'I guess he's that kind of a guy,' I thought as I headed back out.

* * *

**Day 61:**

The past week had been peaceful and quiet. There were no orcs trying to kill us. Our position was too far away from the bullywugs to be raided. We found a good supply of water, and Shirou used the knowledge of his previous world to build a small aquaduct underground. It took most of his time for the past week, but it was worth it. Unfortunately, it had to be manned during the day because it needed muscle power to transport the water. Dodo seemed eager to do just that.

Speaking of which, four more joined the secondary evolution rank. They were Ran, Sou, "Queen," and Dresa.

Ran was a green skinned troll with same height as Yan, except she was a girl. Sou was another troll like Yan and Ran.

It was Queen who was different. She was a peach skinned Oni, the closest thing to a regular human that he had seen so far. She claimed that her colors proved her superiority until I smashed a log into the ground with enough force -using a lot of energy too- to send tremors throughout the fort. She shut up after them.

Dresa was a odd one as well. Instead of becoming a troll or a oni, she became a Kobold, a medium tall dragon-like sentient creature. She stood on two legs and definitely had the same feminine features as Dori and Ran in the chest, groin, and bottom department.

Yeah, did I mention that evolving tends to leave one naked?

No one so far was upset about it, nor did anyone care.

Back to Dresa, she immediately took home in the cavern with a pickaxe I had made a few days ago, and was mining like days away. She seemed really happy about making new tunnels too.

Shirou had taken to spending more time with his furnace, trying to recreate some of the "Noble Phantasms," despite knowing that it was a foolish attempt. Dori was still farming, and Ran and Sou had joined her. The first sprouts had come up, and I liked how fast some of these vegetables were growing. I hoped that they will continue to grow at their current pace.

As for Yan ...

Well, he had taken to hunting.

Even without me or Shirou to accompany him, he would return with a lot of cuts and scratches and usually with a deer or some other creature on his shoulder. Whenever his hunt was successful, he would grin like an idiot. It would only grow whenever I gave him acknowledgement.

As for myself, I was training myself. Instead of focusing on LvLing Up as I had done before in part due to the quests that had popped up, I had taken to working on my stats instead. In the span of the week, I had only LvLed Up three times, but the stat growth had exceeded 100 points total, which was 60 points more than what I should have gotten from only LvLing Up.

So why was I doing this instead of establishing dominance?

It's ... complicated. From my lessons with Shirou, who I had shared my plans with, he told me about multiple ways to rise to power. He told me about people like Napolean, Alexander the Great, Gilgamesh, Heracles, and so much more. I was amazed by what such conquerors had done. Back in the Elemental Nations, no one had ever made an _empire _spanning across various kingdoms in one's lifetime. It was mind boggling.

And then he told me about a certain general by the name of Sun Tzu. A man who had mastered the art of war to the point that his published book, the Art of War, became the term to describe warfare beyond simple tactics and his teachings, some of which Shirou remembered, was continued to be passed down.

Totally mind-blowing. They probably stole some work here and there but still, the scale was just too far fatched for me. I actually didn't believe Shirou at first until he used his magecraft to show Gilgamesh's own weapon.

It was only after he showed me Gilgamesh's favorite weapon, Enkidu. My observation was going ham on the weapon. It couldn't get a read. "If this is just the favorite weapon, not the strongest ... I can believer some of what you said," I told him then.

But what he taught me had been something else. Or rather a phrase from an empire that everyone from his world looked up to.

"Rome was not built on a single day."

The phrase said so much in so little.

Patience was key, Shirou was telling me. We had to be patient. We had to gather more members, preferably Oni, Troll, Faze, or Kobold, if we were to fight against the numerically superior bullywug. Not only that, it was unlikely that the clan was going to be able to take care of the entire mountain range with mere 30 to 40 members at best.

I listened and agreed to go with his plan.

We would gather more member until we could at least match one of the bullywug village in manpower. That would mean, however, that our clan would have to end up being at least 100 members.

We then discussed how we could go about doing that.

We agreed that our fort would have to upgrade. While it would provide a safe haven for any raids, against any real sieges, it would not last. The walls would have to increase in height and thickness. Possibly a ditch would have been dug around the immediate area around the fort itself while those who evolved would have to be taught archery or long-range magic attacks.

We also agreed that we can't be sitting here idle, so we would have to train ourselves. We would have to be ready to take in more members. So Shirou was working on food storage, food cultivation, and smithing, while I prepared to be the pillar of this clan. It's strongest warrior and leader.

With no other "strong" fighters to compare myself to, I decided to just fuck it and went on a training regime when I was not hunting. I kept on increasing my stat without stopping for the past week.

Now, looking back at my fight with the basilisk, I laughed at how weak I was compared to then. I really should have spent all my points sooner.

"Bosss!"

I cringed.

It was now common for the imps to be calling me a boss.

...Something told me that this was Yan's doing.

"What is it?" I asked the imp flying as fast as it could towards me. Then just a mere ten meters before it reached me, it tripped in the air -a feat in and of itself- and rolled the next ten meters to me. I caught him gently in my hands, making sure to not harm him with my own strength. "Well?"

"B-Bullywugs! There's a h-h-hundred of them, and they're heading straight for us!"

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 61:**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]**  
**LvL 42**  
**The Gamer**

**HP: 168.5(+131) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)**  
**Mana: 640 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 262**  
**DEX: 83**  
**AGI: 81**  
**END: 110**  
**INT: 84**  
**WIS: 88**  
**CHA: 45  
Unused Points: 26**

**Spirit: 35**  
**Magic: 24**  
**Power: 24**

**Traits Taken + Earned:**  
**Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key**

**Focus:**  
**Growing**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)**

**Skills:  
Archery (LvL 1)  
Ambush (LvL 7)  
Baiting (LvL 21)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 4)  
Charging (LvL 7)  
Clairvoyance (LvL 1)  
Crafting (LvL 3) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Fishing (LvL 6)  
****Intimidation (LvL 7)****  
Leadership (LvL 9)  
****Listening (LvL 14)  
Observe (LvL 40) + Structural Analysis (Reveals Physical/Chemical/Magical properties of target if LvL of Observe is high enough)  
Physical Durability (LvL 2)  
Projection (LvL 2)  
Running (LvL 15)  
Sonar (LvL 3)  
****Throwing (LvL 10)****  
Trapping (LvL 19)**

* * *

**Ironwood Clan:**

**8 Trolls (WoW)  
****3 Onis  
1 Faze  
1 Kobold (D&amp;D)  
****22 imps (WoW + D&amp;D)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys, and welcome back to Re:Gamer. **

**First off, I know... I've haven't working on other stories much, especially some of my oldest ones and the Black Dragon Slayer. **

**So I received some reviews and wanted to clear some things up in case my non-reviewers had the same question.**

* * *

**Ea and Enkidu  
Enkidu is the chain that Gilgamesh uses, and it is considered his most trustworthy/most secret weapon. Ea is just the most powerful.**

* * *

**Nerf**

**Yeah, I did XD**

* * *

**Leadership  
As **Fallen-Ryu **pointed out, leadership can have a huge impact if I adjust it, but it remains to be seen exactly how I will alter or add to it. But I had been thinking about this in terms of Crusader Kings II title style. So it would be barony, county/tribe, dukedom, and kingdom. So closest thing that Ruto can qualify for at the moment is barony, but it requires that he have Stone fortification (as per CKII rules) before he could be a baron, which he doesn't. This is not, however, cemented and change be changed, so I want yall to give me some more ideas.**

**But I do want to thank **Fallen-Ryu **for the idea. I'll be sure to go over it again before I make any changes to Leadership.**

**Speaking of which, I must point out that RUTO IS UNAWARE OF HIS LEADERSHIP SKILL. It is a skill that had created itself out of nowhere due to his actions, and one whose notification he may have pushed aside without really thinking about it. That and on top of the lack of notification of skill LvL Up's, it may be some time before he recognizes it.**

* * *

**Day 61(continued):**

I sent two more imps out as soon as I heard that, and they returned with the exact same news.

"Che," I spat as I stood up. "How the hell did they find us so fast? We're more than several clicks from their nearest village and out of their sight."

Shirou quickly abandoned the shortsword he was pounding, ran up the walls, and unto the wall platforms, which were made to allow us to stand and overlook the area. He stood there, and I felt magic drain as he used it. I looked towards where he was looking, and did the same thing as he was doing.

[Reinforcement]

My eyes screeched with its nerves as my vision became clearer. I could see further, and make out more details. And I saw the incoming bullywugs. Most of them were dressed in clothes that may as well be rags. They wielded simple weapons like axes, swords, and few bows and arrows.

They were definitely here for a fight.

Now, had the number been somewhere between ten to twenty, I would've scoffed and ran straight at them. However as it was, they were not only numerically superior but they held our resource.

The lumber.

It was something I couldn't do about. The forest provided us with food and lumber, and it was the only reason why I know that Shirou had not used one of his swords to blow the bullywugs out of their misery. Well, it would also blow our cover here, too.

So we had to fight up close and personal, and make sure that none of them make it out alive.

I turned to my clan. "I want all imps who can fly to grab a rock and fly up high! I don't want any of you dying because they spotted you for flying too low and shoot you out of the sky!" The imps scurried along to obey my orders, and I turned to the secondary evolutionaries, or as I came to call them, Seconds.

"I need any of you who are trained so far with bows to man the fort. We don't want to fight them up close before they get to us, or they'll be able to just run us over."

Well, mostly my men and women as I was sure that Shirou and I could survive, but I didn't need to inform them of that.

They nodded, including Dresa, our resident Kobold, and moved to set themselves up. "And shoot only when you know you'll get someone!" I added, because I knew that we had less than a hundred arrows ready.

I grunted as my reinforced eyes saw the bullywugs move closer and closer. Soon, they would be less than a kilometer from the fort, and it would be all too visible. I canceled the reinforcement and turned to Shirou. "Can you cut down their number as much as you can?"

Shirou nodded. With that, he traced Archer's black bow, and projected mundane arrows. The other archers followed him, and knocked their own arrows. When he lifted his great, black longbow, and aimed, they did.

"In 5 ... 4... 3... 2... 1... Fire!" Shirou shouted, and let the arrows loose.

Immediately, the others let their own loose as well, and a total of 12 arrows soared into the sky, and flew straight towards the unsuspecting bullywugs. The froglike creatures jumped out of the forest, and were met with arrows. The first few to emerge were killed immediately under the waves of arrows unleashed. However, a lot of those arrows still missed.

I projected my own bow, and let loose a shots after shots as more and more of the bullywugs jumped out of the forest. Almost like a frenzy, they let out a croaking roar and charged at us without a care for their comrades.

I watched as my third shot flew and pierced through a lead bullywug right through the forehead, killing it instantly. The other bullywugs didn't stop. Actually, there was one ... Nope, he's looting the body. Damn. I knocked another arrow, and fired, and it killed the bullywug that was looting its dead comrade's body.

They were less than five hundred meters from the fort now, and I grimaced. "Keep firing until they're a hundred meters from us!" I shouted to my clan members as I knocked and fired off another arrow. It pierced a bullywug in the leg, and it fell forward with a cry. It didn't live long as its "comrades" stampeded over it. "And definitely don't let yourself get caught alone by these bastards!"

With that, I dispelled the bow, and projected a katana like the ones used by the samurai back home.

Shirou didn't stop with the firing as he was a master archer, he had no need to stop. The other clan members put their bows away and pulled out their weapons. Most of the trolls had their hatchet while the rest had a shortsword that Shirou had made for them. From some reason, trolls seemed to love hatchet more than blades.

By now, there were only fifty bullywugs. All of their archers had been picked off by Shirou in their initial charge

Then the bullywugs began to climb. They used each other as stepping stone, and rushed at the Ironwood Clan with their brandished weapons.

* * *

The first bullywug to reach the top cried out in triumphantly as it jumped over the spiked walls-

-Only to find a find a rather large club heading for him.

"Croak."

The club struck home at its chest, and everyone could hear the rips snapping in crescendo. The club didn't stop there. It continued to move, and the helpless, nearly dead bullywug was lifted up, and flung out of the fort. It flew for a meter or two before falling down, head first.

It didn't get back up.

* * *

"And home run~!" Yan cackled as he chopped off a bullywug head and kicked it before it struck the ground.

I grinned in approval, even as my mind tried to see how Yan could have gotten that reference. After all, I didn't remember talking anything about sports, and that sounded like one.

Regardless, I turned my attention back to the climbing bullywugs. Without hesitation, I swung my projected longsword in a wide underarc, and sliced through two bullywugs.

Then I heard a arrow.

I was too late to dodge it, and felt it stab into my rib.

**-50 Physical Damage!**

I gritted my teeth to prevent a scream from ripping out. It seemed that Shirpou forgot one. Oh ... nope. He just finished the guy off.

I staggered a bit, feeling my balance shatter from the sudden pain.

**[Minor Shock: -10% to all stat]**

Well damn.

I broke the arrow by the arrowhead, and stabbed it into a new climbing bullywug. The frogman screamed when the broken stick was stabbed into its eye, and I used this chance to slit its face open with the longsword with a vertical strike. The frogman fell backward after the sword cleaved its forehead in two and left.

I grunted as the projection shattered, and made another longsword.

It was just then that rocks began to fall from the sky. I gave the imps in the sky a thumbs up before twirling around and slicing off a bullywug's jaw.

I didn't stop there. As I sliced off that bullywug's jaw, I stepped forward and continued the spin, and finished off the miserable and jawless bullywug with a slice to its throat. Even jawless, it gurgled in its own blood -actually it was much more pronounced now- as it sank to its knees.

I grabbed it by the head, and launched it at another bullywug who were starting to overwhelm the Oni girls. "Dori, Candy, keep it up!" I barked to them before I had to block a horizontal slash. I parried it and caved the offending bullywug's face with my fist. It _flew _backward and struck the wooden wall.

**-40 Physical Damage!**

With a grunt, I turned around to see a trembling bullywug with a bloodied axe in its hands. It just snuck up on me and hit my back!

I grabbed its neck and _squuuuueeezzzeedddddd._

The bullywug wheezed and slapped at my hand. I scoffed, and threw him over the wall. I watched in satisfaction as Shirou nailed the fucker in the chest with his arrow. My satisfaction only increased when the arrow exploded.

"You're breaking mundane arrows now?" I asked him as he dispatched a bullywug that was running away. It too blew up, leaving nothing of the fleeing creature.

"I don't want to do any cleaning," he replied.

I shrugged. "That is a good point," I said as I projected a dagger, and overloaded with thrice the usual amount of mana. I grabbed the nearest bullywug that had just climbed over the wall, and stabbed it multiple times in its chest, left the dagger there, and tossed him overboard.

BOOM

"Oi, don't damage the wall!" I heard Yan yell. I waved him off.

Now, there were less than two dozen bullywugs left. "Let's finish this," I said as I projected another longsword. Now with a longsword in each of my hand, I jumped over the wall with a frenzied glee. Shirou groaned and jumped after me with his traced Kanshou and Byakuya.

I sliced into the surprised bullywug before overloading the sword I stabbed it with, and push-kicked him into a group of three bullywugs.

BOOM

The winds howled on my face in protest, but I could only grin as the smell of _bacon _washed over the area. "Hey, I think we can eat these guys!" I yelled.

Shirou made a disgusted face as he sliced another bullywug's stomach open. Without even looking back, he spun around the dying bullywug, stabbed its back for double check, and sliced another bullywug's neck.

I whistle before I blocked a strike to my back. I knew that Shirou was good, but his elegance in battle was too much. I wonder how many people he killed to get that good. Or was that the perk of his "Trace" that was working for him right there?

My muse was cut off as I sidestepped a bullywug's vertical axe strike. The axe planted itself into the ground, and I jabbed at the bullywug's face. My left fist struck it right at its nose, and it croaked as it stumbled backward. I didn't stop jabbing at it before I stabbed through its stomach with my last longsword. I quickly grabbed its leg, flipped it around, and threw it at the last bullywug left.

The mostly unscathed bullywug cried in alarm as its comrade flew at it before the two were engulfed in another explosion of mana.

I watched the red fire ignite and then collapse on itself before I turned to survery if there were any more enemies left.

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 61:**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]**  
**LvL 42**  
**The Gamer**

**HP: 168.5(+131) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)**  
**Mana: 640 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 262**  
**DEX: 83**  
**AGI: 81**  
**END: 110**  
**INT: 84**  
**WIS: 88**  
**CHA: 45  
Unused Points: 26**

**Spirit: 35**  
**Magic: 24**  
**Power: 24**

**Traits Taken + Earned:**  
**Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key**

**Focus:**  
**Growing**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)**

**Skills:  
Archery (LvL 2)  
Ambush (LvL 7)  
Baiting (LvL 21)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 7)  
Charging (LvL 7)  
Clairvoyance (LvL 1)  
Crafting (LvL 3) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Fishing (LvL 6)  
****Intimidation (LvL 7)****  
Leadership (LvL 9)  
****Listening (LvL 14)  
Observe (LvL 40) + Structural Analysis (Reveals Physical/Chemical/Magical properties of target if LvL of Observe is high enough)  
Physical Durability (LvL 2)  
Projection (LvL 2)  
Running (LvL 15)  
Sonar (LvL 3)  
****Throwing (LvL 10)****  
Trapping (LvL 19)**

* * *

**Ironwood Clan:**

**8 Trolls (WoW)  
****3 Onis  
1 Faze  
1 Kobold (D&amp;D)  
****22 imps (WoW + D&amp;D)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Fixed on: 12/3/2015**

* * *

**Day 61:**

"Is anyone injured?" I shouted over the battlefield.

"Dresa's got some scratch, Yan has a broken forearm, and I'm out of mana!" Shirou shouted back. "Do you have any mana transfer skill?"

I shook my head before I went back to survey the battlefield. "Damn, this is going to be a lot of work just cleaning," I grumbled.

There were a hundred dead bullywugs -with at least fifty on one side of our fort- leaking their blood on the ground and on the walls. They couldn't serve as food either. There was just too much of the dead body that disease can catch on or it would just start to rot, especially since we didn't have any efficient storage methods.

Well, that and I don't think I'm open to the idea of eating right now.

...

...

That's strange. There's no reward or anything like that. Usually, there are rewards after a quest -.

Quest.

I frowned as I just realized something horribly wrong.

Quests.

Where were they?

They were like the guiding lines for me when I was growing stronger, so why aren't they popping up anymore? There haven't been a single quest, now that I realize it, over the past week. Actually, past week and a half. Something to keep in mind and think about.

Regardless, I now had a new job.

Time to cleanup.

"I want you to bring me their bone collars!" I added as I broke off the bone collar of the dead bullywug I held.

* * *

**Shirou's POV**

Once the cleanup was done, Ruto left his fort to scout out the bullywugs.

Meanwhile...

Shirou looked over the fort and the surrounding areas.

While the current setup was great, if they were ever attacked by anyone with a significant force -which in medieval times that this place seems to be in would be around five hundred or so- this fort was not going to hold up, even more so if either Ruto or he were missing. Or worse, if both weren't here to help defend.

From my memories, Shirou could easily bring up several plans for future fortifications like trenches right in front of the walls. The one that he was most partial to, however, was increasing the thickness of the wall while at the same time increasing its height.

At a height of two point three meters or so, the current wall was enough against the short bullywugs. But should the bullywugs bring about an army of five hundred with proper siege equipments, then this wall would not stand.

The best thing to do was to set up another wall with logs at least half a meter taller than the previous set. Plant them with two meter wide gap. Once the second wall was complete, then either extra lumber would be used to create a platform between the first wall and the second or just tons and tons of rocks could be poured in.

Not only would this increase the thickness of the wall, it would make it solid.

But as of right now...

"Hey, Second Boss!"

...Honestly, Shirou did not like the imps and the other second gens calling me "second boss." He was not a boss of any kind, just a planner. The strategist, if you will. He felt more at home as a teacher and a protector than anything else. It was also why he had taken to teaching the imps and the other second gens in learning.

"What is it?" he asked the imp that ran up to him.

"There's a group of fairies over there. Let's go kill 'em!"

"Wow, wow, wow. Why would we kill them?"

"B-Because we could eat them, then?" the imp looked confused. "Why wouldn't you want to eat fairies?"

Shirou frowned at that.

Fairies. They had met one when they were fleeing from the orcs not too long ago, but once the migration was over, it disappeared quietly. They were nothing like the Fae that he had come to know back on Earth, but they did possess some ethereal property about them that he couldn't quite grasp.

"No. Besides, we already have enough food," he told the imp. "But I would like to meet them. Can you show me where they are?"

* * *

The fairies were at the top of the eastern peak of the Twin Peaks. With such a high altitude and their faster flight, it was an ideal place to be if this meeting went downhill.

"Hello," Shirou greeted calmly as he stopped his approach fifteen meters or so from where they were. He could tell that there were about twelve fairies there in total. "Why are you here?"

The fairies looked between each other before one of them stepped forward and spoke up.

"W-W-We saw you win against the bullywugs."

Shirou nodded, but didn't speak.

"W-W-We want to know i-if you'll protect us. W-We're willing to work..!"

Shirou blinked.

Well, people wanted to join them.

That was a first outside of the orc-instigated migration.

"...Where are others of your kind? Twelve seems a bit too small for any kind of fairy colony for a valleys around us."

It was another fairy that spoke up. "They ate the others."

Shirou flinched, because the fairy that had spoken up looked like he was going to eat it -him? her?- too. "Relax. Once we get our chieftain here, he'll tell you that we won't eat you. We have plenty of food to eat."

"D-Do you eat others?"

"You mean other ... species that can talk?"

They nodded.

"Well... no. It would be pretty bad really when we have trolls, onis, a kobold, a faze, and a bunch of imps."

The fairies looked at him in wonder. "You all live in peace?"

Shirou scratched the back of his head. "No, not really. We've just been attacked by the bullywugs. No one on our side died though."

* * *

Ruto's POV

When I came back to the fort, I was surprised that Shirou was waiting for me with a small contingent of ... fairies?

"What are the little guys doing here?" I asked him as I walked over to them.

I towered over them by a lot. I towered over even Shirou by a head. I must look menacing though. My tusks were sharp, and my body was bloodied from the kills I've made, and carried two dead deers on my shoulders without a problem of being weighed down. Not to mention the bulky muscles.

The fairies seemed very intimidated by the entire sight of what I was.

Shirou didn't answer. Instead, he looked to the fairies. One of them, a fairy with many a leaves for its -his? her?- dress, stepped up and bowed.

"Please allow us to live here!"

I blinked.

Well, that was abrupt.

"Sure, but you have to work. Where do you think t-"

I didn't get to speak further as the fairies swarmed me and hugged me. They seemed keen on not touching any blood though.

"...So?" I asked Shirou.

"Probably farming. From what I've learned from them, I eat mostly vegetables, fruits, and few insects. I don't think they'll mind fish, but we're too far from any kind of sizable lake or river," he replied as he took one of the deers from me. "Let's head inside."

* * *

**Day 62:**

When I woke up the next day, I found the fairies hovering over me. They watched me with their sparkling eyes.

I couldn't help but be slightly intimidated.

"Don't you guys have work to do?" I asked the fairies as I got up.

"We finished them already."

That was when Dori, the resident farmer-wannabe, barged into his personal space right next to the small gate of their fort. "Boss, the vegetables I planted two days ago! T-They're all mature!"

My eyes shot open, and I snapped my head to the fairies. "You did this?"

They nodded. "We don't eat meat, not much anyway. And we did say we were going to help with farming."

I stared at them for a while.

Was this how fairies, the smallest derivative species of the forest, were able to survive? Just grow their own food from the trees above and the grass below?

This was a huge find.

"Dori. I'm putting you in charge of them," I said as I stood up, and walked out.

And my jaws dropped.

Along the walls of the fort, maybe 4 meters in width were the patches of vegetables Dori had planted. Right in front of his feet were watermelons. Juicy, large watermelons. I knelt down and grabbed one. It was heavy. I tapped it.

And very, very full.

There was a wild strawberry bush further down, corn ever further than that.

My lips split into a grin.

"Jackpot."

* * *

Soon after that, I had the other trolls all get to work on expanding the garden plots by another 3 meters in width. I knew that carbohydrate -that's what Shirou called them- needed to be the main source of energy if we were to work efficiently -again, Shirou should be teaching more than he was doing now. So he had Dori and the fairies plant more corn and few more vegetables for variety.

Maybe we could get Shirou to cook again.

* * *

**Day 65:**

I was on patrol when I first saw them.

It was a long caravan. There were horses and muscular cows. Damn, those looked tasty.

But what caught my surprise was the composition of the caravan itself.

If I had to compare with Elemental Nations, this caravan didn't fit in any of them because it fit in with all of them. Heavy fur coated humans with their horses, very thinly dressed men and women with their horses, muscular men with their muscular cows. Thatched roof carts, open carts, linen, hemp, and so on.

There was such a variety here that it made me confused!

...

They also seemed well armed. There were a lot of well armored and armed men, and few women, that dotted along the entirety of the caravan. But it was their stance that had me curious.

They all had their hand on their weapon at all times. It was as if they were expecting someone to attack them...

My eyes widened as I realized why they had so many guard for this caravan.

Bullywugs!

Maybe if I have the bullywugs' collarbones, then they won't attack me? But how would I show it to them? Just offer it up to them? That would have me look suspicious, and I would have to approach them first. Whose to say they won't shoot me while I walk up to them? I definitely don't look like a human.

... Collarbone necklace?

* * *

Maybe I should have been more careful about this... Because now, I stood before fourteen of the guards. Each of them held a different weapon, or held the same weapon differently. It reminded me somewhat of the ninjas back in the Elemental Nations. There was a large variety even with those who held the same weapon. Perhaps it was the same here? Different lines of thoughts regarding combat producing different martial arts and combat practices? There were some who looked

I could probably take them all down, though, but I was trying to be nice here. These humans may have something that I might need.

They only spoke gibberish, which made me conclude that the language I was speaking was definitely not anything remotely similar to theirs.

I just held up my necklace of bullywug collarbones.

They looked at it, and one of the adventurers motioned for me to give it to them.

I did so.

They took it, and began to look over it. One of them pointed at the bones, and another shook his head. There were more words exchanged before one of the smaller merchants looked at it and dropped his jaws.

"Bullywug!"

I nodded. It seemed that names at least stayed the same.

I pointed to myself, then at the bullywug collarbone necklace, and made chopping motions.

They pulled their swords away.

'Well, it seemed like they understood,' I thought as I smiled.

Then one of the humans from somewhere further down the caravan approached me.

"You me stand?"

"...What?"

"You no me stand?"

Clearly, the man was trying to speak my language, whatever that was called by the humans, but he was pretty bad at it.

"You mean 'You understand me?'"

The man looked puzzled for a while before he seemed to get it.

"Sorry. Trolls rare in towns. To hard speak learn Zandali."

Okay, so they called the language that I was using Zandali.

"No problem. I'm just happy you understand me ... somewhat. So what are you guys doing around here?"

"Barter line? No, no, trade line! No, trade group. Yes, trade group passing by human city to."

"There's one around here?"

The man nodded. He pointed towards where the caravan was heading. "More 40 leagues."

"Leagues?" I asked. That was a new unit of measurement that I didn't know of. "How long is that?"

The man looked around. "Trade group long?"

I looked at the caravan. There were more than a hundred carts lined up with a large space in between. I looked at the closest cart, one that had a hemp covering five round wooden spines, and guessed that it was 13 meters long along with the horse.

... 35 kilometers, maybe?

"Okay. But be careful. There are bullywug villages just on the other side of the mountain," I told him,

The man paled. "Bullywug? Cities? How many?"

"A couple hundred at the closest? There's a really big city far away, but ..." I shrugged. "Well, I guess I'm going to go now. I still need to hunt for the clan."

The man nodded, and thanked me for some reason. Then he ran back to his friends, and spoke quickly and alarmingly.

One of the horse riding guards who looked almost like a samurai trotted over to me with the necklace I gave them. He pointed at it and at the mountain.

The man who understood me came back. "Know wants how many bullywugs," he spoke quickly. "E...Exactly?"

I scratched my chin. "I wiped out the nearest village just yesterday, and that would be the closest one from here."

The man told the chief guard, because that's what he seemed to be doing. "How but?"

"I have a clan of 40 with me. No bullywug."

The man looked surprised. "You all to _humans _friendly?"

I blinked. "I suppose. As long as you don't attack us," I replied easily enough. Then I realized something. This was the perfect time! I reached into my Inventory, startling the humans. Then I pulled out a glowstone. "How much is this?"

The man took it, and looked over instead of giving it to someone else to appraise. Was this man a jack-of-all-trade, perhaps?

The man's eyes widened. "Very, very quality well sunstone."

"You up for trade?"

The chief guard grunted something at the translator, cutting him off before he could speak.

The translator turned to me. "You mine these?"

Wow, that was the first sentence that wasn't broken. "Yes. Our resident kobold like to mine."

The guard looked at me straight when I said Kobold. "Kobold?"

I nodded. I held up a finger. "Only one."

The chief guard stared at me with narrowed eyes before he scoffed and rode off. I turned to the translator. "What's wrong with him?" I asked without pointing.

"Very, very history bad," he replied. "Kobolds loot town his birth."

I winced. "Oh..."

The man quickly gestured back to the "sunstone." "How much mine you?"

"Enough for use?" I replied with a slight questioning tone towards the end. I didn't know what these humans did with them, so I couldn't really answer.

The man looked calculating. "Trade?"

I grinned. "Trade sounds good."

Ping!

**New Skill!**  
**Negotiation (LvL 1)**  
**You want this? I want that. Let's trade.**  
***With each level of this skill increases trade surplus by 2%.**  
***When asking for anything beyond calculated exchange rate, the user has ((skill LvL*self-CHA - target's CHA) - target's opinion of self)% of succeeding. **  
***Every 5 lvl of this skill allows user to hire another to operate a trade post (Construction LvL 3). **

Ping!

**New Quest!**

**Partners in ... Trade!**

**Humans are here! And they seem eager to trade the "sunstone."**

**Requirement:**  
***Trade sunstone for something valuable.**  
***Obtain information on general goods and trade values of each items.**

**Failure:**  
***Trade Unsuccessful**  
***+100 EXP**  
***+1 LvL of Negotiation**

**Success:**  
***Trade successful**  
***+1000 EXP**  
***+3 LvL of Negotiation**

**Optional Actions:**  
*Establish a trade route with the nearest human city or trade post (+10,000 EXP and +5 LvL of Negotiation upon success)

"Cool."

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 65:**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]**  
**LvL 45**  
**The Gamer**

**HP: 168.5(+143) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)**  
**Mana: 640 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 286**  
**DEX: 85**  
**AGI: 95**  
**END: 120**  
**INT: 90**  
**WIS: 96**  
**CHA: 49  
Unused Points: 42**

**Spirit: 35**  
**Magic: 24**  
**Power: 30**

**Traits Taken + Earned:**  
**Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key**

**Focus:**  
**Growing**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)**

**Skills:  
Archery (LvL 2)  
Ambush (LvL 7)  
Baiting (LvL 22)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 10)  
Charging (LvL 8)  
Clairvoyance (LvL 1)  
Crafting (LvL 5) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
****Intimidation (LvL 7)****  
Leadership (LvL 9)  
****Listening (LvL 14)  
Mapping (LvL 2)  
Negotiation (LvL 1)  
Observe (LvL 41) + Structural Analysis (Reveals Physical/Chemical/Magical properties of target if LvL of Observe is high enough)  
Physical Durability (LvL 4  
Projection (LvL 5)  
Running (LvL 19)  
Sonar (LvL 7)  
****Throwing (LvL 11)****  
Trapping (LvL 22)**

* * *

**Ironwood Clan:**

**8 Trolls (WoW)  
****3 Onis  
1 Faze  
1 Kobold (D&amp;D)  
****22 imps (WoW + D&amp;D)  
15 fairies**


	16. Chapter 16

**Day 65(Continued):**

The translator, who called himself "Andrews," continued to talk with me as he and a small cart pulled by two horses with three human guards made our way up the mountains to where my clan was.

"So where do you come from? Is it far from here?" I asked him as I led them through a slow incline route.

"From Volkanis. Very, very far. Took months 4 to come far this."

"I've never heard of Volkanis," I told him honestly. "Me and my ... clan have been here for only a short amount of time."

"Ah. Volkanis is ... uhh central? Yes, central of Volreek chiefdom. Many, many people. At least hundred hundred dozens."

A hundred hundred dozen?

"You mean a hundred thousand?"

"Thousand? That dozen hundred is?"

This broken "zandali" was really irritating.

"Yes."

Andrews seemed happy to learn new words. "Thank you," he said as he pulled out a small worn out notebook and scribbled something in it. "New word. Make books."

"Oh?" I inquired.

"Hobby translate is mine," he said excitedly in his still broken zandali. "Make books. Hope see to people learn."

I nodded along. It was a good cause, I supposed. He would be leaving something of worth behind even with his death should he accomplish it.

"So big clan how?"

"You mean 'How big is the clan?'"

He nodded, and scribbled something down again.

"Ehhh," I muttered as I thought about it. "Fifty."

"Fifty?" he looked up at me.

"Yeah, but I expect more people to join us soon, like those fairies."

"Fairy!"

The word fairy caught every human off guard.

"Fairy in your clan?"

I nodded. "Fifteen of them. Twelve of them joined a few days ago, and few not too long after that."

They looked troubled, and I wondered why.

"Ah, we're almost there."

They looked ahead, and were surprised to see our fort.

"Not village?" Andrews asked.

I shook my head. "Bullywugs attack everyone. If we were going to survive, we needed a good, solid wall to depend on."

"Have must long taken time?"

"...Okay, what?"

He looked down at his note, and began to murmur something. "Ah! Must have long taken time?"

"Close. Taken long time is what you were looking for. But no, not really. Two days or so?"

* * *

Andrews Maulta was a very learned man, even among merchants, scholars, and traders. As a quarter human and three quarters high elf, he had a long lifespan, and had used it so far for much.

At 15 years old, he had been apprenticed by one of the master alchemist of the Volreek Empire. By 25, he had been given the title of a alchemist journeyman. He applied himself to invention and production of alchemic goods, and by age of 51, he had been acknowledged by his peers as a master alchemist. Then when he hit 60, a spry young man by elf standards, he quit his alchemy profession, and delved into engineering. Then he moved onto arcane magic. And finally, after spending three hundred years doing all that, he had arrived here to meet this red troll as a master linguist.

Language, he found at age of 261, was something he enjoyed to learn.

Like how much you can cuss another person in ancient language, and others wouldn't even know about it.

But perhaps the main reason outside of his joy of learning, he had gotten into language because it helped to promote trade. While he had quit being a master alchemist, master magician of the transfiguration branch, and master civil engineer, it didn't mean he quit business related to those.

Oh no. In fact, he was one of the wealthiest, most politically powerful, and most desired bachelor in the Volreek Empire. On top of that, he was a family friend of the current dynasty of the empire, too!

But this red troll was _odd._ Like an adventurer odd, odd. This troll wasn't hostile to humans, which was generally the case (there's a reason why one can't find trolls in a big city). On top of that, he had _fairies, _the pinnacle of what could be called the good of nature joining his "clan." Then he says kobolds, one of the most bloodthirsty races to ever live, _mines_ like a dwarf.

The troll was confusing, but perhaps it was not a bad thing.

* * *

The horses made it all the way up to the fort -what were we calling it anyway?- and the humans were surprised to see the fairies working with another troll in tending a _garden _of all things.

One of them decided to rant, and was speaking at a pace way too fast with spittle flying everywhere.

Andrews looked troubled.

"What's he saying?" I asked Andrews, pointing at the ranting guard.

"Fairy is holy. Is good of nature. M...Monsters is not. Hurt they others. _Humans _trolls consider monster."

I scratched my chin. "Why?"

Andrews blinked. "Trolls hurt others?" he asked-stated.

I sighed. "So despite the fact that I didn't do anything, I'm lumped with them? Even though by me having this fort here, I probably saved some of your lives?"

He looked serious, all of a sudden. "Saved lives how?"

"A hundred or so bullywug were about to pass through here towards your general direction a few days ago," I replied, and Andrews paled immediately. "See what I mean?"

Andrews immediately relayed something to the other humans, and they looked at me ... skeptically?

Eh, not that I cared.

"Oi, you can decide on whatever _after _you see the dump pit."

"Dump pit?"

I told Andrews to leave his men and the cart there, and told Dori and the fairies to tell the others to not bother the humans. Then I led Andrews to one of the peaks, and told him to look over.

He did so, and paled.

This was after all, where we dumped the dead bullywug bodies.

He nodded. "Many bodies. Sorry for not believing."

I shrugged. "I wouldn't believe that our small clan could fend off all those if it hadn't happened already," I told him. "But now, let's get back to the fort, shall we? We do need to discuss how we are going to trade."

He nodded enthusiastically. I wondered if it was because of the bodies we were leaving behind or the trade that he seems to want so badly.

"So what do you have for trade?" I asked him as we made our way back.

"Some seed, some food, some fur. Many ores and ingots," he replied. "Some potions, too."

I nodded along. I guessed that Andrews was a broad trader, not focusing on just one or two specific items.

"Let's discuss the details inside the fort," I said with a grin as we approached the garden again. This time, I led him in through the gate.

In the past three days, I hadn't been making maps. Instead, I had been building up houses, storage, and other infrastructure within the fort. As a result, there were now two sleeping halls built into two sides of the round fort, a single storage building that we dubbed "barn," and an open area where Shirou and I worked our magic. Well, it was mostly Shirou with his Tracing and smithing; I hardly did anything there except to sharpen my own weapons.

Speaking of which...

"Do you trade weapons?" I asked Andrews as I led him to the off center of the fort where there was a single table and benches. The bench had been Shirou's idea. He said something about needing space to sit and a table to eat. One of the human guards had followed and I gestured for them to sit on the other side of the table.

They did so.

"No. Law says trading no non-listed races."

"Non-listed?" I asked him. This was new.

He nodded. "Wait." Then he pulled out a ... stick? He waved it over himself and then at myself. I used [Observe].

**Spell: Spark of Minor Translation**  
***Helps to ease translation of language, but does not translate by itself.**

"Do I speak better now?" Andrews asked.

I gave him the stink.

"Why didn't you use this in the first place?" I asked him.

He just smiled. "Then I wouldn't have learned new words."

I scoffed. "You trying to piss me off?"

He chuckled. "Of course not. But how am I to make a book on zandali if I never learn it? If I offended you, I apologize. But back to the topic at hand, the human kingdoms have a list of races that each allow into their kingdom without a fuss. For the Volreek Empire, this list of races is longer than others, but it does not include races like trolls, orcs, ogres, kobolds, goblins, imps, and the like."

"Why not?"

"Well, trolls aren't included simply because there aren't too many of them in the area of the Volreek Empire. Most of them are concentrated in these regions and the jungles furthers south. Kobolds aren't because they raid human settlements. Orcs, ogres, and goblins are known to attack and eat humans."

I stared at him for a few moments before throwing my hands up. "Whatever," I said as I brought my hands back down. "So, why do you want the sunstone?"

He blinked. "You do not know of its properties?" he asked, surprised.

"Well, it glows, but that's about it," I replied. "I was never interested in rocks when I had to fight off bullywugs and keep them on their toes so that they don't attack us."

Dresa used this moment to bring out the gemstone she had a particular fondness of. "This one is what I am not trading because it's the first I mined," she said as she crossed her arms.

He nodded. "Then I propose a trade. All the sunstones you could spare for all the iron ores I could provide. A 1 stone of my palm size for quadruple its weight in iron."

I looked at him in surprise. Why would he trade away iron so easily like that? It was a hard commodity to fin-

...

Iron was a hard commodity to find around _here_, but did this hold true for other parts of the world?

'[Observe],' I mentally intoned as I stared at the sunstone that Dresa has brought so we could study it.

**Name: Sunstone**  
**Quality: Uncommon**  
**Description: Sunstones are rare gems found in only certain regions of the world where parts of the sky are said to have fallen en masse. They are capable of holding in large quantities of mana, and as such, acts as a battery for many magical societies that can afford them. On top of that, a good artificer can fashion sunstone in jewelry that can be used for magic. The value of the sunstone rises more cloudy it is as it shows how much mana it can hold.**

And the one before me was solid. Like yellow milky cloudy solid.

"Ten times."

Andrews looked shocked. "What?!"

"If the sunstone is as valuable as you say it is, then I see no reason to raise the price for it," I told him. "Besides, our fort here protected some of your lives. From what I also know, solid milky colors like these tend to be able to make brighter lights in the dark, unlike the crystal clear ones," I added. "I guess that's what you were also looking for, am I not right?"

The man's lips twitched a bit.

I chuckled. I understood what kind of a man Andrews was. He was a businessman. He approached in friendly, in case I could help him. Then he suggested trade without actually telling me the value of the sunstone. He only said it was valuable, and for a "country bumpkin" like myself who didn't seem much, providing cheap iron from somewhere else for priceless goods like the sunstone was a good deal for him. Unfortunately for him, I had [Observe] on my side, and with it, the ability to discern the details of anything and everything.

Of course, he didn't know this.

"That is too much to ask for regardless," Andrews countered. "I was actually being generous with my proposition."

"And I'm supposed to take your word for it? Please remember that while we are cordial with each other now, I don't truly know you."

"Then you'll have to trust me on my word."

"Then forgive me for not believing. I don't think the sunstones that you seemed to be so eager to get your hands on is worth only so little. For us, it is a safe light that will ward off possible predators; an essential protection that we cannot just trade away for meager return."

He conceded that. "Fine then. Seven times its weight in iron."

"Eleven times."

"What? You can't just pull up your price like that! That's not how you negotiate!"

"You're willingness to concede so easily to increase in exchange rate says I could. After all, if you are being generous with the rates here, then you would've lowered it instead of bringing the rates up."

"Fine. Nine."

I thought about it for a while. "I could deal with that," I said as I held out my hand.

He looked at it in surprise again. "You are familiar with human customs?"

I looked at him quizzically. "No, this is our custom. We shake hands to seal the deal," I replied.

He shrugged. And then he shook my hand. "It seems that humans and trolls aren't too different," he replied.

"How so? Because of the custom?"

He shook his head. "Both of us are shrewd."

* * *

Unfortunately, I was not able to set up a trade agreement as I had hoped. But I was able to clear him out of any iron that he had. Shirou looked completely ecstatic while Dresa looked a bit too off about having to trade away her sunstones. Her pout remained until Shirou reminded her that he could easily make her a better pickaxe. Her pout disappeared faster than candlelight against a storm.

I escorted the humans back to their caravan, and waved them good bye.

**Quest Complete!**  
**Reward:**  
***+500 kilograms of iron ingots.**  
***+1000 EXP**  
***+3 LvLs of Negotiation skill.**

**LvL Up!**  
**+4 WIS**  
**+2 INT**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 65:**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]**  
**LvL 46**  
**The Gamer**

**HP: 168.5(+143) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)**  
**Mana: 710 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 286**  
**DEX: 85**  
**AGI: 95**  
**END: 120**  
**INT: 92**  
**WIS: 100**  
**CHA: 49  
Unused Points: 42**

**Spirit: 35**  
**Magic: 24**  
**Power: 30**

**Traits Taken + Earned:**  
**Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key**

**Focus:**  
**Growing**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)**

**Skills:  
Archery (LvL 2)  
Ambush (LvL 7)  
Baiting (LvL 22)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 10)  
Charging (LvL 8)  
Clairvoyance (LvL 1)  
Crafting (LvL 5) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
****Intimidation (LvL 7)****  
Leadership (LvL 9)  
****Listening (LvL 14)  
Mapping (LvL 2)  
Negotiation (LvL 4)  
Observe (LvL 41) + Structural Analysis (Reveals Physical/Chemical/Magical properties of target if LvL of Observe is high enough)  
Physical Durability (LvL 4  
Projection (LvL 5)  
Running (LvL 19)  
Sonar (LvL 7)  
****Throwing (LvL 11)****  
Trapping (LvL 22)**

* * *

**Ironwood Clan:**

**8 Trolls (WoW)  
****3 Onis  
1 Faze  
1 Kobold (D&amp;D)  
****22 imps (WoW + D&amp;D)  
15 fairies**


	17. Chapter 17

**Day 66:  
**

Life was boring.

* * *

**Day 69:**

One of the imps evolved to another kobold like Dresa, and happily joined her in mining the shit out of the mountain. But aside from that, nothing else happened.

* * *

**Day 74:**

Someone, please make something happen!

I was so bored that I went and made myself a LvL 50! Hooray, boredom!

Someone fucking save me!

* * *

**Day 75:**

My eyes opened up quite slowly. My mind was also sluggish.

... It was going to be another slow day, wasn't it? My body knew it just as my mind did.

I sat up and yawned. My stomach growled. I stood up, and left the small residence hall that everyone lived in, and made my way to the garden outside the fort. Once there, I plucked a handful of corns. I headed back into the fort and started a fire in the middle of the fort where we had a small campfire site. Then I projected few metal sticks, pierced the through the corn, and set them to cook. I sat down in front of the fire.

And I noticed something off immediately.

"Why is the bench so small?" I muttered as I stood back up and stared at the bench.

But bench in question was the same as it had been the day before. It did look a wee bit smaller than before, though. 'I wonder why,' I thought to myself. I began to think about a new furniture to replace the bench. Something wide and large that would allow many people to lay down. It would have to be raised above the floor by at least half a meter to prevent dirt and anything else unwanted from getting on it.

"What happened to you?"

I turned around and saw Shirou. "Ah, Shirou. Can you tell me why the bench suddenly got smaller? Was it your magic or something?"

"You might want to look at yourself first before you start going on about the bench."

I blinked. "What about me?"

"You grew ... about half a meter."

I quickly went over to the water trough that we had installed the other day right next to the fort's smithy, and I gawked.

I did grow! Not only that, my tusks were longer. In fact, the same pair of tusks that looked like it couldn't pierce leather was now so menacing looking with their hooks and sharp ends. My body got much more muscular too. I was no longer lean like Shirou was. I was by no means extremely buff either, but the definite difference in muscle mass right there.

Ping!

**Congratulations! You've ranked up!**

**Race: Mountain Troll**

**Status Update:**  
**STR: +10**  
**END: +20**

**New Racial Trait: **  
**[Troll's Unarmed Mastery] LvL MAX**  
**Fists are the first weapons of mankind. Troll's fists are bigger than man's. Let's not compare the feet. **  
***Base 40 Physical Damage Bonus with punch and kick attacks. **  
***+0.1 Physical Damage added to punch and kick attacks with each point of STR.**  
***Current Unarmed Melee Damage Bonus: 40 (+39)**

Ping!

**New Skill!**  
**[Unarmed Mastery (LvL 1)**  
**Punches and kicks were the first and the most preferred weapons of mankind.**  
***(skill LvL * 10) Physical Damage dealt with punch and kick attacks.**  
***Current Unarmed Melee Damage: 10 (40(+39))**

Ping!

**New Quest:**  
**Change Thy Focus!**  
**Due to Evolutionary Ranking you possess, you can no longer keep the [Growing] Focus you are in possession of. **

**Requirement: **  
***Within the next 30 days, work your way to change your Focus.**

**Failure:**  
***Focus can no longer be chosen/Focus feature suffers permanent shut down.**

**Success:**  
***Focus changed!**  
***+1,000 EXP**

I blinked at all of the sudden messages popping up in my face.

Well, holy shit.

* * *

I discussed with Shirou how much I had changed.

"So your fists are some kind of killers, aren't they?" he asked me after I was finished talking.

I nodded.

If I truly struck with my fists, then a physical damage of 89 would be delivered. This was, of course, not counting any of the damaged lost to armor or anything like that. But 89? That was ridiculous! Depending on how fast I could throw and strike with my punches, I could forgo swords in close combat. No one was going to survive fighting me!

"Why don't we have a spar to see how strong you are now, then?" he asked suddenly.

I blinked and then used [Observe].

**Name: Shirou**  
**LvL 41**  
**Pale Oni**

**HP: 190**  
**MP: 1400**

**STR: 150**  
**DEX: 200**  
**AGI: 310**  
**END: 80**  
**INT: 87**  
**WIS: 90(+87)**  
**CHA: 43**

**Power: 25**  
**Magic: 90 **  
**Spirit: 61**

**Traits:  
Diligent, Honest, Kind, Protector, Reincarnation, Quick, Attractive, Brave, Proud, Chef, Sword-Affinity, Anti-Hero**

...Holy shit, those DEX and AGI stat's. He had been training much more fiercely than even I did. I don't think I can hit him.

"Using [Observe]?" he asked me.

I nodded. "I don't think I can even hit you with those stat's."

He looked confused. "Why?"

"You have over 300 in AGI alone."

He did a spit-take.

I chuckled. So apparently, even he didn't know his stat's.

We decided to not spar after that. If I struck him, then he would die at the third hit, but I would never be able to catch him. While I would never be able to catch him, my END and STR would ensure my victory in the end anyway. We both agreed the spar would be moot.

Instead, we dove into intellectual discussion about how we were growing so fast.

God... Intellectual discussion. That was so far removed from what I was as Naruto in the Elemental Nations. Was it because of the WIS and INT stat's that I became like this? I didn't mind it too much, but the sheer change that I recognized with myself was astonishing.

"Well, I guess I could point out that I don't feel Gaia or Alaya here," Shirou pointed out.

I frowned. "What were those again?"

"The planet and the subconscious will of humanity."

I ah'ed. "Right, right. They were the guys ...uh... interfering with your magic back home, right?"

He nodded. He placed his fist under his chin and his elbow on his knee as he sat on the bench. I munched away at my baked corn.

"Maybe our growth is natural for abnormals."

I paused. "Natural?" I invited him to party. "That is in no way 'natural,' Shirou-baka."

He brushed off the comment and the invitation.

"No, I mean natural for this world."

I blinked. "Wanna elaborate?"

He paused and concentrated. He actually looked a bit constipated. "What I mean to say is ... like this place, this world, is not ours. Yes?" I nodded along with him. "What's to say that the natural laws here are same as ours back home?"

"Oh."

"And look at us. Two different people from two different worlds brought together in this world. I come from a world that has its magic dying. You come from a world that lives in pseudo-medieval age with ninjas possessing genetically passed down supernatural powers. We have nothing in common. This world and we have nothing in common, and yet here we are. In your case, you told me about your ability not letting ou die. That can explain your situation, but what about mine? I was nothing too special."

I scoffed. "Nothing special, he says."

He gave me a half-hearted glare. "You know what I mean."

I shrugged. "Of course, I do and I see where you are coming from. It's not us that's weird but this world. Outside of my own ability, I agree with you. I mean the humans don't look that strong nor fast growing, but the bullywugs and our clan? They are growing ridiculously fast. Remember how we killed a hundred of the bullywugs? Well, guess what. They're already half way to replacing that number."

Shirou's eyes nearly bulged out. "Are you-?!"

I nodded. "I think I'll have to go back to the valleys to keep their numbers low. Or otherwise, they'll come at us with numbers that we won't be able to handle."

Shirou frowned. "I understand, but how do you intend to go about that?"

I scratched the back of my head. "Well, I was thinking about packing as much mana into a projected arrow as I could and letting it explode in the smaller villages as they seem to be doing the ... explosive breeding. I might take some of us with me to start clearing away the trees in the valleys to prevent them from providing covers for the bullywugs. I may even set fire to the place, of course."

"Isn't that too barbaric, though?" he asked. "Just because some of them decided to attack us, we can't go and kill off their entire civilization."

I scoffed. "I am not killing off an entire civilization. To be fair, though, the bullywugs don't _have _a civilization of their own. They are raiders and thieves that steal from other people for a little gain in social standing. Their description of their 'society' told me that that's all they will be too. In their eyes, someone who steals well is a good 'bullywug.' That's how they gain their social standing."

"Are you saying that the reason why they raid caravans and other villages is because of -?"

"Social standing and not survival."

* * *

**Day 76:**

When I woke up, I found three more of the imps had evolved. Two had become trolls, and another had become a kobold. I asked them what they wanted to do, and they seemed intent on working on the farms.

What was surprising for this morning was that one of the fairies had evolved.

It had become a "Greater Fairy." All it did was grow bigger... and gain more assets. But what I did notice using my [Observe] was that the Greater Fairy had a mana reserve x15 that of a regular fairy. Her Magic stat was low, but her Spirit stat in comparison was ridiculous. Like over 250 stat ridiculous. She introduced herself as Senna, and Shirou pointed out that her name was that of a herb.

Bad thoughts, Ruto.

"Well, I'm heading out then. Expect me to be back by tomorrow evening, I think," I told the assembled clan. "Be good to each other, yeah? Shirou, you're in charge by the way."

Shirou gave me a wave from his place in front of his forge.

With my piece said, I walked away from the fort. I hoped that the clan would continue its business without anything happening to them.

* * *

I took off running once I hit the trees. I ran up the trees as fast as I could and jumped on the branch.

_Crack_.

I blinked as I began to fall.

"Oh shit!" I hissed as I jumped off from the branch and rolled on the ground.

I watched the branch smack down to the ground. "So I'm too heavy to climb trees now," I muttered to myself. "That sucks."

I dusted myself before breaking out into a steady pace towards the swamp valleys.

My plan for today was to map out where the bullywug villages, cities, and outposts were located. From what I learned from the humans, the bullywugs of this region were quite the nuisance and sometimes a very dangerous sort of pests due to their constant raids. There was also a human city two day's journey from our clan's fort. This was, of course, not including any other human or other sentient species villages that may be in between that journey that Andrews may not have told me about.

Killing these bullywugs would give many of them a break.

However, as my clan and I am, it would be hard to impossible to take on the entirety of the bullywugs in an open warfare. Not only did we lack the resources and the number, we were inexperienced outside of me and Shirou.

So what were we to do? What was I to do?

This was in no way a free service. Bullywug hunting was apparently a small profession around these parts. Showing them the taken collarbones, fingers, eyeballs, or anything really would get me some hefty reward. I intended to make this hunting the starting point for establishing a cordial relationship with the nearby towns.

So what was I to do once more?

I grinned as I stopped myself by latching onto a tree trunk. I stared at a bullywug village that had been erected only a week ago.

Map out anything I can't destroy. Kill everything I can.

I projected a bow and an arrow packed with mana, ready to burst open at the slightest instability. My grin fell a little as I nooked the arrow and aimed.

I let it loose.

* * *

Crocki was a normal bullywug. Actually, he would be considered normal had he been born among humans or other more mundane social creatures. He didn't have much ambition that the other bullywugs seem to be dominated by. He was content just doing his job of making arrows, bows, and spears for the raiders of his village. He knew what they were used for, and he didn't care.

It could be said that he was an apathetic bullywug.

Suddenly, a deafening noise blew over the entire village including Crocki's little hut.

He sat on his stolen, human stool for a bit before he rushed out with his own handmade spear.

The western wall was gone. Only smoke and ash remained where it used to be.

"ENEMY!" one of the guards croaked, pointing towards the western forest.

He and the other bullywugs turned towards the direction.

It was a huge, muscular troll running at them with nothing but bare fists.

He wasn't even worth stealing from!

Maybe if they cut off those tusks and fashion it into something, then maybe worth something...

Crocki let out his own battlecry as he charged.

Just as the troll made it into the wall and punched through one of Crocki's cousin.

He halted immediately and turned the other way. He ran without thinking much about it.

Nope nope nope nope nope nop-!

"Crocki, watch out!"

He turned around and saw a fist right in his face.

* * *

I wiped the green blood that had splattered on my face. I was sure I was only smearing it.

Without pause, I rushed to another bullywug and One-Punched it.

These guys were so weak! Most of their HP was capped at 80 and each of my fist hits did 89! Armor? What armor! They only had linen shirts!

I decided to get creative. I grabbed a bullywug by the head and ripped it off from its body. Then I took careful aim -hoping that my accuracy and stat's were good enough for this- and hurled it at another bullywug charging at me. A satisfying crack rang out when the torn head met the charging bullywug's forehead, and it went down in a pleasing splat.

Did I mention that the bullywugs were like a third of my height? Like dwarves! They were so small!

I kicked a spear-wielding bullywug just as it tried to stab me in the back. Its back broke from my kick's power and it slumped forward, dead.

There were more croaks as more of these _pests_ came out of their wet huts.

This was going to take a while. 'I hope that the profits are good at least.'

* * *

**(Chapter End)**

**(Omake and extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 76:**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]**  
**LvL 50**  
**The Gamer**

**Race: Mountain Troll**

**HP: 168.5(+145) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)**  
**Mana: 710 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 390**  
**DEX: 91**  
**AGI: 110**  
**END: 140**  
**INT: 94**  
**WIS: 103**  
**CHA: 55  
Unused Points: 0**

**Spirit: 36**  
**Magic: 25**  
**Power: 32**

**Traits Taken + Earned:**  
**Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key**

**Focus:**  
**Growing**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

**Skills:  
Archery (LvL 3)  
Ambush (LvL 8)  
Baiting (LvL 22)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 10)  
Charging (LvL 9)  
Clairvoyance (LvL 1)  
Crafting (LvL 5) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
****Intimidation (LvL 9)****  
Leadership (LvL 9)  
****Listening (LvL 14)  
Mapping (LvL 3)  
Negotiation (LvL 4)  
Observe (LvL 43) + Structural Analysis  
Physical Durability (LvL 11)  
Projection (LvL 7)  
Running (LvL 22)  
Sonar (LvL 10)  
****Throwing (LvL 12)****  
Trapping (LvL 22)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 2)**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**10 Trolls (WoW)  
****3 Onis  
1 Faze  
1 Greater Fairy  
3 Kobold (D&amp;D)  
****18 imps (WoW + D&amp;D)  
14 fairies**

* * *

**Faction Standings:  
**

**? Orcs -100  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan +1000  
Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000**

* * *

**Carpathi Mountain Region:  
**

**Comprised of the crescent shaped mountain region west of the White Sea and officially under the rule of the independent duchy of Transyl-Carpathia under the House of Zapolya, it is both a beautiful place and a strategic region. Within the Carpathi Mountains, there are many interconnected valleys, essentially making a highway that allows ease of travel through the region without ever having to actually step into the steep mountains. The House of Zapolya takes great care to keep these valleys secure. Seven valleys that interconnect the north, west, and east are under the control of the House of Zapolya with more than five thousand guards and troops making sure it stays that way.**

**Unfortunately, the mountain valleys are also home to one of the most notorious species: the bullywugs. The frog-like sentient species lives to raid any who dare to use the valleys and makes away with anything valuable. ****At the same time, the ruthless orcs to the east constantly harass the eastern portion of the region. This is not including any other monster species that may thrive in the wild lands of the mountains. This makes more than half of the region unsuitable for human, elf, fairy, tauren, dwarf, gnome, and oni. **

**The mountains, however, are rich in mineral resources like gems, sunstones, and iron. Many expeditions have been made to secure the eastern region, but all efforts have been useless. **

**There is a rumor, though, of a small clan of monsters that are friendly to humans. The "Ironwood" clan of Carpathi Mountains is rumored to be located two days of journey from the City of Honsmak. Situated right at the westernmost tip of the swamp valleys upon the Twin Horn Peaks, they have been acknowledged by Andrews Maulta of the Volreek Empire. **

* * *

**Omake:  
Dresa and her daily life**

**Day 72**

Dresa woke up with a yawn, but stayed deep inside the fur beds.

She loved how Chief Ruto provided all of these furs for clan's beds when he didn't have to. He was a caring chief.

But it was time for her to wake up. The morning draft was moving in, and staying in bed once the warm monring breeze came in was impossible.

She folded her fur cover neatly and dropped down to the ground. She dove beneath her bed and pulled out her pickaxe and a small leather bag.

Without pause, she headed over to the storage building and pulled out a tomato, two corns, and a slab of salted deer meat.

Salt was something she had come to love. She mined a small mound of it a week ago, and Shirou had been amazed by it. She didn't know then, but she knew now. She didn't understand how tasty things like salt could keep rot from meat and vegetables for a long time. She didn't believe it when the Second Chief Shirou told the clan, so she watched Shirou salt the meat the day after that. And she waited for the meat to rot.

And waited. And waited.

And it didn't rot.

She was amazed!

Salt was amazing! ...And it was running out quickly. Ever since then, the demand for salt had been pretty high among the clan as they wanted to store meats for longer and salt also made things taste better. Personally, she wanted more of it as well. However, she didn't get much more in the same quantity after that.

She plucked some sticks from the nearby stick stack that the clan had set up for meal purposes. She stuck her selected foods and waited.

"Hoy."

Dresa looked up. It was Yan. Yan was the organizer after Shirou. He made sure everyone did something productive when First and Second Chiefs were busy, and he was great at encouraging people too. He was also the Most Learned outside of the Chiefs. He was also a great hunter and trapper.

"Hey, Yan," she replied drowsily.

Yan went over to the storage. She heard the door open and close.

"Second Chief told you to eat more vegetable," she commented without even looking at him.

There was a pause before the door opened and closed again.

He sat down right next to her in front of the campfire with his own sticks.

"Mining again?" he asked.

"Yup." She had new help who evolved a few days ago, but she didn't like having to wait. It meant less salt and other things to pull out of the mountain.

"You love your tomato, don't you."

Tomato.

In her opinion, they were the grandest thing to exist. When she was an imp, she didn't know what it was, so she avoided it. But now that she knew, they were the best things. The fact that fairies we were with them to grow them was a bonus. When Second Chief used tomato to cook though.

"You're drooling again."

She wiped her drool. "I can't help it," she grumbled. "I wanna eat Shirou's food again, but he isn't cooking lately."

Yan grunted in agreement.

Everyone wanted to eat Shirou's food. He was just too great at cooking. She wondered why he was so focused with those irons of his. She was half tempted to not pull out any iron in the mountain.

She smelled that the food was done, and pulled them out of the fire. She dumped the corn and the meat into her bag and grabbed the hot tomato for breakfast. "See you," she said casually as she made her way out of the fort. She grabbed a sunstone torch on the way.

She headed down into the mines.

In the past month or so, she had done a lot of work. The mine had so far branched into three ways. One went towards where the sun rose, one towards where it sat, and one straight down. The sun set-ward mine held all the salt, but they were sparse. She went there yesterday, so today she was heading straight down.

The mines as she dug them were only a head higher than her and she used logs to support the mines as Shirou suggested. She went and made sure that the supports were okay before heading deeper.

Then she reached the bottom.

She looked about before choosing a spot and swung her day away.

* * *

She emerged from the mines near sunset with her fellow kobold Kavahn who had joined her an hour after she had started working.

They had already hurled out all of the rocks, and sorted through them. Now, they only needed to sort out the bucket full they had emerged from the mines with. Kavahan was not good at sorting and was learning from her how to do it.

"Shiny?" Kavahn muttered as he held up a rock with gray, shiny things embedded in them.

"Silver, probably. Iron doesn't shine like that," she commented. "We'll take them with us. Shirou said we might be able to trade that we the humans."

Kavahn nodded. "Okay. What about this?" This time, it was a white rock with yellow shiny things embedded. Unlike the silver though, the amount of metal was really small.

"Don't know. Maybe Shirou will. Let's take it with us too."

By the time were done, we had three basket full of rocks.

* * *

Dinner was a loud affair as Yan and the other men outside of the Chiefs made some kind of competition about arm wrestling.

She ate in silence, amused, but went into the sleep quietly.

Such was her day. It'll probably be the same tomorrow and the day after.


	18. Chapter 18

**Happy New Years and Post-Christmas/Yule/Hanukkah/ etc. I don't know the rest.**

* * *

**Day 84:**

I decided that these bullywugs must have a breeding rate that would put rabbits to shame.

For the past week, I have been raising hell upon the swamp valleys. In fact, I went far as to use explosive projection arrows on their villages, but the day after, another village would be standing in the area!

In fact, the closest village to my clan had been eradicated ten times already, and there's already another bullywug village being built in place!

I stared at the inventory where there were three stacks and a half of 99x Bullywug Collarbones.

They were just endless. I actually wondered how they weren't conquerors with their breeding rate.

I sighed as I stood up.

"Boss, they're back," Yan reported. "They're building their village again."

I knew it before he had even reported thanks to my [Sonar], but it was nice to have visual confirmation.

Make this the eleventh time.

I projected a bow and a quiver of explosive arrows. I straightened my back and nocked the arrow. "God damn those bullywugs."

Unfortunately, my constant hunt of the bullywugs forced them to allocate significant population towards hunting me and my clan down. They were sending hundreds of bullywugs as reinforcements everyday. On top of that, they were actually building some cobblestone forts like ours. I knew that should that fort be completed, it'll mean hell for us. I just knew it.

So I have been using my arrows to -.

_boooomm..._

Well, blow them up before it could be completed.

We watched as the bullywugs moving the stones were scattered by the force of the blast. Then the blasted rocks flung and killed bullywugs in their path.

"It'll take another half a day or so before they finish that," I grumbled as dispersed the projected weapons and sat down.

Not only that, the bullywugs began to lay down traps to kill me.

I was actually surprised when I ran into those. In fact, they set up traps exactly as I had set up mine. They were copying me!

In hindsight, it was to be expected. If I used the same trick over and over again, eventually they will learn and use those very things against me.

And unlike me, the bullywugs had literal hundreds of themselves to set up those traps.

The swamp, even with my [Sonar], was dangerous for me. I could no longer raid their villages and cities as I had done before. Not without expecting some resistance at any rate.

Such was actually one of the reasons why I was here with Yan and few others of the clan.

We were here to hunt bullywugs.

Over the past week, the number of bullywugs I had hunted had actually turned out to be very profitable. The human settlements would give me their coins or goods in exchange for bullywug collarbones, which -as I have been later told- could serve as a _potion _ingredient. So to get more profit, and in the end, get a trade route started with the bullywug collarbones, I had decided to train some of the combat-oriented members of the clan besides Shirou; that oni was strong enough by himself.

I chose about four of the trolls for my training. Yan, Ran, Iskan (one of the newly evolved trolls), and Sou. I chose Yan because he was a decent leader who could lead others in my and Shirou's absence. He also did fairly well against my swordfighting when I engaged on him during a spar. Ran and Sou were the two inseparable troll duo who had evolved at the same time* and liked to fight as well. Instead of teaching them how to fight upfront like how I do, I sent them to Shirou and had him teach them a more in-depth lessons on archery.

And then there was Iskan.

He was a large troll. He was just a head shorter than me, and I was tall. At LvL 27, he had about 98 points in his STR and didn't lack the brains like many other brawns.

Once I chose them, I had them train with me for the past week. For Yan, it was about slashing and dodging. Ran and Sou focused on hitting moving targets that I provided (by throwing dead rabbits in the air and swinging a carcass on a vine). Iskan?

I had him spar with me.

At first, Shirou had been very shocked that I would be "so cruel" to a newly evolved, but I explained myself quickly.

Iskan was a well-built and heavy troll. He was never going to become a fast hitter like Yan and he certainly did not have the dexterity needed to use the bows like Ran and Sou. He had strength and some endurance. Actually, when I started his training, it had been only endurance training he needed.

Shirou accepted that explanation and quickly patched up a nicely padded, leather training gear just for Iskan; he didn't trust me to hold back appropriately against him.

Then with the help of my ability, the Gamer, I LvLed them up thrice in the past week and invested in good martial skills in the spare time I had when I was not hunting down or destroying the bullywugs thoroughly.

And now, they stood by my side. I thought that it was a bit early for them, but argued with myself by pointing out to myself (how odd that had been) that if I took out one of the bullywug forts in construction, then the bullywugs were sure to charge me -as they usually did- and thus their number would be reduced from my attack and would be tired enough for my subordinates (calling them that was still awkward) to easily take care of them.

On top of that, I made sure to give all of them the appropriate set of armors and arms.

Iskan had an ironwood tower shield (as I had named the toughest tree in our clan's area), a pair of shoulder guards, forearm guards, and shin guards. He also had a leather cape to prevent any bullywug from backstabbing him. He had a helmet that Shirou called "Roman Galea." As a weapon, Iskan took immediately to a heavy longsword.

Ran and Sou were both equipped with a quiver filled with thirty arrows, an ironwood plain bow, a pair of forearm guards, and a single steel shortsword.

Yan had a single saber and another at his waist. He had a single shoulder guard on his right shoulder, armored on all limbs, and a small, mostly wooden round shield with a iron bulge in the middle for bashing. He was also given a pair of throwing knives.

...

Oh, oh, oh. Oh yeah, those bullywugs were charging up the hill now.

"You guys know the drill. stick together, cover each other's back, and break apart groups before they become too big," I said as I projected Shirou's gift: a pair of brass knuckles. It was a weapon but it allowed my Unarmed skill to be used without penalty. I slid them on.

"Yes, chief!"

...Eh, I could get used to it, I suppose.

I clapped my hands together before pulling them apart into fists. "And here they come, boys!" I roared as I pulled my right fist back.

I struck out with such speed that my swing made a loud _whoosh _and my fist struck deep into the bullywug's skull. Using the momentum, I moved forward with a rightward spin, tossing the dead bullywug away and into the air. I didn't stop the spin and struck the next nearest bullywug. This time, the bullywug's neck ripped off from the punch, and the head flew off.

The bullywugs noticed my strength and immediately grouped up.

I scoffed. Normally, a large of bullywug would overwhelm many opponents. I had personally fought against a hundred bullywugs before I had to retreat. But a mere dozen?

I grabbed the body of my second kill and swung it like a club. I repeatedly pounded upon them without mercy and let loose a roar to [Intimidate], causing them to freeze up.

With the dozen around me dead, I turned my attention to my clan fighters.

They were holding well against a dozen bullywugs. The bullywugs were more armored and armed than the ones I killed. Some of them even had helmets and body armors! Most of them had shields, too. But their armors were too tattered, I also noticed, and watched in fascination as Yan sliced into a leather-helmeted bullywug's head with ease before having to back off against half a dozen thrusting spears.

Ran and Sou were in the back with their bows. They easily picked off bullywugs though their weak armor.

Iskan.

Now that guy. He was up in the front with Yan. Despite the weight and size of the tower shield, he used it to bash and stun bullywugs before slicing them apart with his longsword. It was quite the sight for someone who wasn't "special" like Shirou and I was.

I watched Ran kill the last bullywug who had deserted the fight at the end with a single arrow through its brain.

"Good job guys," I said with a grin. "Actually, if you guys keep it up like this, you won't need my instruction after a month or so."

Despite their obvious fatigue from the battle, they gave me proud grins and smiles.

"Can we go back? I'm hungry," Iskan asked.

I chuckled. "Sure, sure. Go ahead on your own, but be on guard until you are inside the fort. I need to harvest those collarbones."

"Yes, sir," they saluted and walked away from the battlefield. They eagerly discussed their performance with each other, and I grinned. 'Perhaps this is what jiji felt,' he thought to himself about his first life's grandfather figure.

I dispersed the brass knuckles and turned to the scattered remains of the dead bullywugs. I shrugged as I projected a serrated knife. "Right'o. Time for me to make some money."

* * *

When I got back, the sun was setting across the horizon, casting an orange glow in the sky. The sunstone torches were lit across the fort, illuminating it against any would-be predators and enemies.

Dresa and her miners were back inside the fort, eagerly discussing with Shirou about the materials they had brought up.

Rest of the clan circled the bonfire in the middle with soups, meats, and cooked vegetables in their hand. Some of them were grinning while others were downtrodden.

That was when Candy approached me. I saw her coming from my right and turned to face her. "How's it going, Candy?" I asked.

The only Faze member of the clan shrugged.

I used this moment to [Observe] her.

Now, don't get me wrong. I used my [Observe] on everyone because I liked to check up on my clan. I needed to know if there was anything wrong with them, even if I didn't like being chief much.

**Name: Candy**  
**LvL: 31**

**Race: Faze**

**HP: 91**  
**Mana: 200**

**STR: 52**  
**DEX: 77**  
**AGI: 77**  
**END: 39**  
**INT: 60**  
**WIS: 53**  
**CHA: 34**

**Spirit: 20**  
**Magic: 17**  
**Power: 41**

**Traits:**  
**Arbitrary, Lustful, Quick, Patient, Wroth, Trickster**

She seemed fine for now. No stress, depression, or illness.

"I wanted to know if others like myself would be allowed to enter the clan."

I blinked.

Boy, that hadn't been expected.

"Uhh... sure? But I'll have to check them out first along with Shirou."

She let out a sigh of relief.

"I have ... some relatives, who want to join. They are willing to work for the clan as well."

"Oh, cool. Where are they?" I asked.

"Outside the fort. Chief Shirou did something to the walls of the fort. No Vashta Nerada can enter without being part of the clan or without permission."

Shirou did something good again, I supposed. I certainly did not like the idea of a rogue Vashta Nerada entering and eating us alive while we sleep. Not prejudice, but some things I heard from the elder imp about them made me a bit wary of reaching out first.

"Then let's go meet them, shall we?" I said as I turned around.

* * *

**(Chapter End)**

**(Omake and extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 84:**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]**  
**LvL 52**  
**The Gamer**

**Race: Mountain Troll**

**HP: 168.5(+145) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)**  
**Mana: 710 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 394**  
**DEX: 91**  
**AGI: 120**  
**END: 141**  
**INT: 94**  
**WIS: 103**  
**CHA: 55  
Unused Points: 10**

**Spirit: 36**  
**Magic: 25**  
**Power: 32**

**Traits Taken + Earned:**  
**Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key**

**Focus:**  
**Growing**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

**Skills:  
Archery (LvL 10)  
Ambush (LvL 11)  
Baiting (LvL 27)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 18)  
Charging (LvL 13)  
Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
Crafting (LvL 8) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 2)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
****Intimidation (LvL 9)****  
Leadership (LvL 9)  
****Listening (LvL 14)  
Mapping (LvL 3)  
Negotiation (LvL 4)  
Observe (LvL 43) + Structural Analysis  
Physical Durability (LvL 12)  
Projection (LvL 20)  
Running (LvL 30)  
Sonar (LvL 18)  
Teaching (LvL 4)  
****Throwing (LvL 19)****  
Trapping (LvL 26)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 5)**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**10 Trolls (WoW)  
****3 Onis  
1 Faze  
1 Greater Fairy  
3 Kobold (D&amp;D)  
****18 imps (WoW + D&amp;D)  
14 fairies**

* * *

**Faction Standings:  
**

**? Orcs -100  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan +1000  
Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000**

* * *

**Review Replies:**

**Common Question: **Will Ruto's clan mean Rou's tribe?**  
Answer:**Ehhhh... Not sure. I mean, it'll be a bloodbath. Rou is too bloodthirsty in my opinion, and my writing will affect what I think about him. Rou will definitely attempt to either subjugate Ruto and his clan unless the latter two is too far away to matter.

**Traits!  
**Yes, I did use the CKII traits along with some CKII+ traits. I expect to use more from there. I also make up some, like you saw in this chapter.  
And yes, I did put in opposite traits, but I want to tell you that a person can be chaste and lustful at the same time, for example. Humans are, after all, very contradicting species.

**Question to you guys!  
Do you guys wanna see more of Omake's surrounding the clan members(including Shirou)?** _Already have some yes's, but I just want a confirmation._**  
Do you guys wanna see the Re:Monster canon cast?  
Do you guys wanna see more fighting or less fighting?**

**Review the answers.**


	19. Chapter 19

**First Post of the Year for me... Yay?**

* * *

**Day 84 (continued):**

I stepped out of the gates with Candy, our resident Faze, by my side. I was greeted to a sight of eight floating Vashta Nerada's. Just like Candy had been, they were all shadowy, cloudy, and smokey.

"What's up?" I asked.

It was Candy who spoke up. "We Vashta Nerada have a clan of sorts like the ironwood, but the clan is comprised mostly of familial units. The biggest Vashta Nerada in front of you is the patriarch of my pack."

I blinked. That's new info. "Alright then," I said as I gave the Vashta Neradas my full attention. "Why do you guys want to join us Ironwoods?"

The patriarch of the pack slid forward half a step (by my standard) and swirled. "We seek strong company. Humans and elves hate us. Bullywugs hate us. No one wants us. You accepted my daughter."

So basically, these guys were lonely as hell because everyone hated them. Harsh life, much?

I nodded. "You can join us, but keep in mind that you cannot harm others of the clan without good reason. Ask Candy here or Shirou what constitutes as good reason."

"We shall. We promise."

"Good, then let's introduce you to the clan," I said with a grin as I led the pack of eight Vashta Neradas into the fort.

* * *

**Day 90:**

The Vashta Nerada pack was settling in just fine with the clan. They took up the job of scouting out the area for hostiles for the clan, which was perfect due to their physiology. They ate little, even when offered more. It seemed that they joined the clan more for the company it offered than anything else.

To my surprise, it was the fairies who took to befriending the "shadows that melt the flesh." Perhaps it had to do with their close racial relations; both of them were of similar roots as fairy-like races.

Candy took up the leader's position for her pack and, surprisingly, the kobolds, placing herself on the same level of "political" power as Yan and Senna, the Greater Fairy. It must be said that outside of me and Shirou, those three were all around the strongest within the clan for their respective races.

Yan had the ears of the trolls and imps.

Candy had the Vashta Neradas and the kobolds.

Senna had the fairies.

For some reason, the trolls and the onis stayed out of those factional stuff. Perhaps because it was me and Shirou who "represented" them.

I then realized how our clan was structuring out with a bit of a shock.

Because I forbade any clan member from fighting each other unless there were legitimate grievances, the clan members were picking who was the leader of the other words, there was a democracy going on.

I was surprised by that. I shared this with Shirou, and he seemed surprised as well. But we dismissed it after that. It was not harming the clan functionality nor was it disturbing anything else. Perhaps it would become a good tradition for the clan to pass on.

Candy also joined me in the bullywug hunt as well.

"Chief, there's a human caravan coming our way!"

I blinked as I looked up to the fairy that had been up in the sky, looking for oddities. 'Now ain't that something,' I thought to myself. I gave the fairy a thumbs-up before heading out of the fort towards the direction the fairy had been pointing towards when he alerted me.

I had expected some attention from how I had dealt with the previous caravan. But to receive another caravan so soon? It was unexpected but not unwelcome. I went over to the edge of the small plateau that our clan was on and waited.

I wondered what this caravan was going to bring.

I looked up to see how much the sun had moved.

...

Goddamn it, how long were they going to take?

I stood up and went to them.

* * *

**3rd POV**

Sholva had heard that there was a friendly tribe of humanoids here that had been newly discovered.

For him, that meant two things.

One, this tribe did not possess any trading partners as of yet.

Two, this tribe were more likely to set up trade relations with him.

Now, who was he?

He was Sholva z'Retvoa, the youngest son of the Retvoa Patricia Family under the rule of the House of Zapolya. As the vessel family of the Zapolya, it was the duty of the Retvoa family to offer a substantial amount of tax from the trade regions that the Zapolya had granted them.

Due to such nature, Retvoa had taught all of their children to become a successful businessmen and businesswomen.

Sholva, however, had some bad experience with his starting business. He had taken up a business opportunity of running caravans between same cities regularly. Less than three months after the start of his business, one of the cities had been overwhelmed by an invading orc army.

Every business attempts after that ended in failures within two or three months. It didn't take long for the family to ostracize him for his failures; they had no patience for failures.

This was supposed to be his last opportunity. After this, the young Retvoa would be disowned for his lack of achievements and lack of ability to keep a business running.  
When he had brought up the idea of contacting the new tribe and establishing trade, his family told him that he was crazy. Him, crazy? He had done a lot of things and exhausted all ideas. He had even set up a gay brothel because no legitimate or normal business seemed to work. His abysmal luck ensured that failed too.

The family gladly let him try. If he failed, then they would rid the family of the failure for good. If he succeeded, the failure would no longer be a failure. Simple as that.  
So with a crazy idea and a spark of hope, he had led his last two caravan oxen to the tribe.

Now if the goddamn hill wasn't so long!

"I see someone coming ahead!" one of the brave travelers who had come with him alerted the entire party.

Sholva took no time to push himself up to the front of the caravan.

He smiled. So they had seen his party coming. Did that mean that these people had a good layout of the land or outposts? Either case meant well for him and his possibly new trade partners.

"Umm...what race has tusks?"

Maybe not.

* * *

**Ruto's POV**

It was a small oxen train to carry much good, but it was still twice the amount of possible goods he could trade than how much Andrews had brought with him.

The humans and elves who were manning the caravan, though, looked apprehensive.

I raised my right hand up. "Yo," I greeted them.

Did I mention that I managed to learn how to cast that translation spell? Probably not. Only Shirou knew it because he helped me recreate it. Most components of the spell involved thoughts and intentions, which were abstract and intangible ideas, and magic. It was hard but after two full days of working, Shirou managed to recreate it.

The human at the front looked very nervous.

"H-Hi," he spoke up.

I scoffed. "Well, don't stop there. Let's get you up to the fort," I replied as I walked over to them, ignoring their alerted guards and loosened both oxen's loads by taking on two pieces of luggage. "We have some refreshments if that's what'll motivate you."

The humans and elves just gawked at me, but after a moment, they gathered their wits and quickly followed me up the mountain.

It was about noon when we reached the fort.

"Welcome to the Ironwood Clan, boys," I told them as I gently set the luggage down by the oxen. I told them where to tie up the two oxen and led who seemed to be the leader of this caravan into the fort with the rest of the party. "My clan, that is."

* * *

**3rd POV**

Sholva gawked.

A troll?! The tribe had trolls among them?! And this troll was bigger than the biggest tauren...

This was news!

Trolls were infamous for their strength and stealth among the woods. They were also raiders in many parts of the civilized society. They were barba-.  
"Yo!"

A troll just spoke a human tongue, even if it was a very simple greeting.

"H-Hi?"

The troll looked at them all before snorting. "Well, don't stop there. Let's get you up to the fort," it said.

He and the others followed it warily.

And then when he and the others reached their fort, he was amazed.

This tribe had fairies among them too.

Whoever in charge of this tribe must be strong and kind to keep both trolls and fairies together.

Then the troll turned to us and spoke. "Welcome to the Ironwood Clan, boys. My clan, that is."

Sholva gawked.

A troll was in charge of this clan.

* * *

**Ruto's POV**

I led the dumbstruck humans and elves to benches by the bonfire and had the fairies serve them some refreshments.

"So what brings you merchants to our little clan?" I asked them. I motioned to Shirou to cook the guests some food, even though some of the guests looked nervous enough to go on some kind of frenzy.

The one in the middle, and who was also dressed well and more expensively than the rest, spoke up. "W-We heard that there was a tribe here t-that no other merchants had contacted b-before. So I-I thought perhaps that you might t-trade with us?"

I leaned forward.

"Are you honest merchants?"

The man nodded rapidly. I gave the man a nod as well. I pulled out a single bullywug collarbone. "I know that your potioneers use these bullywug collarbones for potions," I said. "I can provide large quantities of these. This is just one of the things that we are prepared to trade with you."

The man seemed to compose himself before he spoke. "Bullywug collarbones, you say? May I inspect the one in your hand?" he asked. I conceded and handed the collarbone over.

He looked over the collarbone for a few moments. "This is C-grade... and very fresh."

I shrugged. "What can I say?" I said. "We're sitting right at the edge of the bullywug territory."

The merchants looked uneasy and looked at their leader.

The man only sighed.

I looked over them. Did they have some issue?

What was I saying.. These guys were merchants, people who lived off the profit-loss ratio in the most literal sense. Their livelihood depended on it.

And where was my clan?

Sitting on the border to one of the most dangerous area of this region.

Of course, they were going to be hesitant to trade with us. If anything, they were likely to lose profit and even lives because of how close my clan was to the bullywugs.

I raised my hand in a slow gesture to suggest that instead of a trade route between whatever city they were coming from, we would just do a one-time trade deal. After all, with the speed that I, Shirou, or few others can muster, we can always go back and forth instead of the merchants here to trade.

"Okay," the leader said abruptly. "But we expect protection if we have to come out this far."

I had not been expecting that. Then I grinned. No need to look at the gift horse in the mouth. "Sure. Why don't we discuss how our ... partnership is going to work then, eh?"

* * *

**(Chapter End)**  
**(Omake and extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**  
**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 84:**  
**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]**  
**LvL 52**  
**The Gamer**  
**Race: Mountain Troll**  
**HP: 168.5(+145) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)**  
**Mana: 710 (+5.9 per minute regen)**  
**STR: 394**  
**DEX: 91**  
**AGI: 120**  
**END: 141**  
**INT: 94**  
**WIS: 103**  
**CHA: 55**  
**Unused Points: 10**  
**Spirit: 36**  
**Magic: 25**  
**Power: 32**  
**Traits Taken + Earned:**  
**Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key**  
**Focus:**  
**Growing**  
**Racial Traits:**  
**Beast Slaying (max)**  
**Troll Blood (max)**  
**Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**  
**Skills:**  
**Archery (LvL 10)**  
**Ambush (LvL 11)**  
**Baiting (LvL 27)**  
**Blade Mastery (LvL 18)**  
**Charging (LvL 13)**  
**Clairvoyance (LvL 2)**  
**Crafting (LvL 8) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 2)**  
**Fishing (LvL 9)**  
**Intimidation (LvL 9)**  
**Leadership (LvL 9)**  
**Listening (LvL 14)**  
**Mapping (LvL 3)**  
**Negotiation (LvL 4)**  
**Observe (LvL 43) + Structural Analysis**  
**Physical Durability (LvL 12)**  
**Projection (LvL 20)**  
**Running (LvL 30)**  
**Sonar (LvL 18)**  
**Teaching (LvL 4)**  
**Throwing (LvL 19)**  
**Trapping (LvL 26)**  
**Unarmed Mastery (LvL 5)**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**  
**11 Trolls (WoW)**  
**5 Onis**  
**1 Faze**  
**8 Vashta Nerada**  
**1 Greater Fairy**  
**3 Kobold (D&amp;D)**  
**15 imps (WoW + D&amp;D)**  
**14 fairies**

* * *

**Faction Standings:**  
**? Orcs -100**  
**Carpathi Ironwood Clan +1000**  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000**  
**Retvoa Trade Company +50**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**  
**Andrews Maulta +65**  
**Sholva z'Retvoa +200**

* * *

**Omake:**  
**Shirou and his Tinkering**  
**It was well known to all members of the Ironwood clan that Chief Shirou had a quirk that made the Big Boss/Chief Ruto look normal.**  
**Marshlands be damned, who evolves so fast like Big Boss does?! No one! Never in the memories of anyone alive or dead!**  
**And Chief Shirou made the Big Boss look normal.**  
**One might ask how. Or even why.**  
**Well...**  
**BOOM!**  
***Cough cough* "It's a success!" Everyone in the fort heard Chief Shirou shout.**  
**Only few like Yan knew of the changes that had happend with Chief Shirou. The Chief used to be really, really solemn and somber, like everyone was dead or something.**  
**Then after a talk with the Big Boss, he changed. Like he wasn't carrying something happy. He began to smile more. He talked more.**  
**Oh, he definitely cooked more.**  
**And then those tinkering began.**  
**"What is it this time?" Big Chief Ruto asked as he came over to the bench.**  
**I looked at him with my soot covered face and pointed to Chief Shirou.**  
**My name is Dori the Ironwood Clan Oni.**  
**I started my life here in the Ironwood Clan as a gardener. It was still my primary job, but one day, Chief Shirou said he needed some helping hand. Some delicate hands, he said. Queen had tried to offer herself, but everyone knew that her hands were anything but delicate. She was a goddamn hunter with a penchant for bringing back unidentifiable meat, for Marsh's sake!**  
**So I had been dragged from my garden and my fairy friends and took to helping Chief Shirou.**  
**And I have to admit.**  
**It's fun.**  
**He taught me how to use magic like himself and Big Boss Ruto. I learned to see the threads of magic.**  
**Occasionally though, Chief Shirou blew things up, even if the tinkering itself was successful. Every time things blew up, I somehow always got covered in soot.**  
**But...**  
**I grinned.**  
**It's fun, and I don't regret working with Chief Shirou. After all...**  
**I drew up my magic from within me and made a ball of water. I splashed my face into it and shook it until I was sure that all of the soot was gone. Then I let it drop.**  
**I could do things like that.**


	20. Chapter 20

**So apparently, in an attempt to fix chapter 20, I uploaded the c.20 v.2 to chapter 19. **

**And I lost the entire chapter 18. No backup whatsoever.**

**Bollocks.**

**So I'm editing this chapter in hopes of covering the small details I had in chapter 18. **

* * *

**Day 91:**

It must be said that even though it was our first, the party we hosted yesterday was ... magnificent. Magnificent as much as a clan party can be.

Sholva z'Retvoa, a merchant that came to us, and I were able to make a satisfactory trade agreement. Apparently, he had heard through the grapevines that we were a Listed-friendly(that's what I call the 'civilized races) tribe of monsters. He said he was a merchant who had a lot of bad luck so far. We were to be his last venture. Should it fail, he would have to quit.

It must be said that Sholva was a ballsy human. Not only did he come into a territory that was considered by his entire trading company -which was also his family- to be a risky investment at best, he had the gall to unfavorable deals. Or he attempted to. He got very nervous when I said the name "Andrews Maulta." He had been nervous since then.

It took us a great while to come to an agreement. After all, my clan was very close to being self-sufficient with the fairies growing our crops at lightspeed pace, kobolds digging up all ores in the mountain, and knowledge between Shirou and myself were invaluable. In light of this, instead of asking to trade for basic commodities, Sholva asked if we were interested in trading high-end goods.

Like books. At first, I was skeptical until Sholva said that he will be getting me books with information, not love stories. I agreed to that. I also wanted some new vegetables, seeds, fruits, and spices, and Sholva delightfully agreed to get my clan those too.

And then there were other details that weren't necessary.

Anyways, party.

In light of a new trading partner, we had a party with a whole roast bearboar that I caught for the occasion. The humans and elves were gawking at the size of the bearboar. I was less than pleased with my hunt, though; the bearboar I had caught was only as big as I was when most were bigger than me.

Still, the party was fun and successful.

This morning, I saw the merchants off.

And now, I was keeping watch again -once more- of the bullywugs.

I projected my bow and arrows again. With a single arrow, I blew up their fort -again- and, with the hunters, finished off the rest of the bullywugs charging at us.

"Anyone hurt?" I asked once the battlefield subsided.

"Nope!" Yan replied back quickly as he ran up to me. "I think we're getting used to this!"

Iskan grunted as he walked up with the archers. "Speak for yourself. You didn't have to tank ten bullywugs with spears at once while hefting this shield."

Yan stuck his tongue out at Iskan.

* * *

**Day 92:**

I went out and got rid of the bullywug fort. For reasons unknown to me, they are ridiculously persistent bout setting up that fort there.

* * *

**Day 93:**

Same shit.

* * *

**Day 97:**

It's been three weeks now. Don't they get tired of building that single fort?

* * *

**Day 100:**

I'm impressed ... at their numbers. I know I thought about this before but man, these bullywugs are like rabbits. Where do they get this inexhaustible manpower?

* * *

**Day 101:**

I've had it!

"Shirou. Do you think I can get away with wiping out the entire bullywugs in the valley? Like permanently?"

Shirou looked at me for a second before sighing. "Look, Ruto, I know that you're pissed off at the bullywugs-"

"Damn right, I'm pissed off at them!" I roared as I shot up from the bench. "I can't do anything because I have to keep watching them! I can't train, I can't make new skills, I can't discover new food, I can't go over to human cities, I can't find more guys to recruit to the clan! I can't do anything!"

"But you can't just go and kill everyone off. Think about it from a logical perspective."

From logical perspective? It would do the world a good for me to wipe out the bullywugs from here. Not only are the bullywugs' entire culture based around stealing, bribing, and killing, their population growth would wipe out most other races by consuming all resources. Wiping them out was a good thing!

Who cared about them anyway, even if I put them down to extinction?! They were worthless pieces of shits that prayed on others!

"...I'm going to go wipe them out."

Shirou sighed again.

"Dude, you can't just do that."

"Why not?! They're a nuisance to everyone civilized! You know this to be true!"

"Fine, have it your way. I have no hand on whatever consequence befalls us."

'Consequences?' I thought. "What consequences could there be? If I wipe them out, then there won't be -. Oh, I see. There won't be more of them. That would be bad for our new trade right off the bat," I grumbled in understanding.

Not only would my clan suffer a loss of profit from the depletion of the bullywug collarbones, the deterrents that the bullywugs portray would be gone.

The valleys and the surrounding mountains we were in was a no-go zone for most "civilized" societies. Only groups like my clan that possess heavy combat or military advantage can hope to survive out here without the bullywugs overwhelming them.

It is also for that reason that other monsters are not hunted by the rulers of this region because the bullywugs are a bigger threat than one or two "monster" or "demon" clans.

I knew that while my clan was benefitting from trade with humans and other civilized races, how long would it take for them to turn on me? I mean, I am a troll whose clan is comprised mostly of "monsters" and uncivilized races.

Hell, it was likely that once the bullywug threat is gone, the humans might attack my clan because of the resources that I don't even care about.

I sighed in frustration and sat back down.

Ping!

**[Your WIS increased by 1 due to logical and calm situational analysis.]**

I grumbled as I willed the alert to disappear.

"Why not teach someone to coordinate the fight against he bullywugs? I mean, there are plenty of strong fighters so there is little chance of anyone getting fatally hurt. And if they are, we can always heal them."

Ruto frowned. "I don't know." He paused for a second. "I mean it would be like I'm handing over a mess that I created in the first place and then having someone else clean it. It wouldn't feel right. And I doubt that they will be able to do good of a clean up as I do. I mean, they don't have exploding missile-arrows at their side, do they?"

Shirou blinked. "Then teach them."

I blinked right back.

"Seriously? Do you think that they can match my mana output?"

Shirou raised an eyebrow. "I know for certain that Senna has more mana than you."

I cringed. "Right, forgot about that Greater Fairy girl."

Indeed. Her mana was over three thousand. "But she's a fairy. She's unlikely to fight."

"Well, she won't be fighting directly," Shirou countered. "And those bullywugs eat fairies, too."

I gave in after that. "Then you convince her. I'm not sure if I could right now. Not when I'm on the edge about having to spend all my days WATCHING THE GODDAMN FROGS!" I roared at the end. It was unintentional, but I couldn't hold it in.

Ping!

**[Your actions have brought about a new trait: Wroth!]**

**[Trait: Wroth**  
_Patience is virtue and anger is a weapon._  
***Effect: -10 WIS and INT when in battle**  
***Effect: +10% melee damage  
*Effect: Lower temper threshold**  
***New Skill: Berserker]**

**[Berserker (LvL 1)**  
_Passion? You do not know of passion until your body cannot do anything but it._  
***Prerequisite: In battle, 20% HP, [Wroth] or hallucinogen**  
***Effect: User's body steams lightly**  
***Effect: [Intimidation] cast to everyone in 10 meters radius**  
***Effect: Cannot make logical decisions in battle**  
***Effect: Discerning ally from foe is hard**  
***Effect: Lasts for the duration of the entire battle**  
***Effect: +50% physical melee or thrown damage**  
***Effect: -10%% physical damage intake**  
***Effect: +50 STR**  
***Effect: +50 END  
*Effect: +50 HP healed instantly**  
***Effect: +10% Life Steal from all sources**

"...Oh shit."

"What?"

"This," I told Shirou as I invited him to my party. He accepted and I sent him the new Skill.

"You just got this skill from ... what? Sitting around?"

I shook my head. "No, no, no. I know how I was getting angry earlier?" He nodded and I sent him the [Wroth] alert box.

He read it. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh."

"Look here, though. 'Life Steal.' You know anything about that?" Shirou asked me.

I nodded. "In my previous life, I made a weapon I named 'Megalodon.' Every time I attacked with it, I stole a portion of the damage I dealt as my own hp. Really good weapon, although it had a rather high STR requirement."

"...Then I think you should get yourself another wepaon like it. Or I can try to make it."

"I'd like it if you made one for me." Then after a pause, I just grunted before standing up and heading towards the gate. "I'm gonna go hunting."

"Bullywugs?"

"Yeah. I'm not going to wipe them out or anything close, but I think I can force them to hold off on attacking us."

"Don't destroy the entire valley!" Shirou called after me.

"I won't!" I shouted back.

* * *

I arrived at a bullywug city. Just like the first bullywug city I had found, this city was situated right at the heart of a valley where the valley's width was at its thickest. The city in question did not have any trees surrounding it and the area around the city itself had been drained.

Unlike the villages, this city had decent walls and were manned by guards.

'The guards seemed to be slacking off, though,' I thought. 'Eh, good for me.'

Good for me.

With those thoughts, I projected the Bomb Arrow and the bow. I nooked the arrow and-

I docked and heard the whistle of an arrow passing by where my head had just been.

I turned to my left and saw a bullywug archer, properly armed and armored in leather and decent quality bow and quiver of arrows.

"So the guards were a ruse," I muttered to myself.

It was a clever thinking. Bullywugs were generally known to other species as stupid. Whoever this city's lord or patrol planner was, they were smarter than your average bullywug to set up a trap like this. By lowering the number of guards on the actual wall, attackers would lower their guard in turn, but the truth was that the number had been merely displaced to the areas surrounding the city.

And I had lowered my guard. If my reflex had been slower and I hadn't checked with my [Sonar] as I usually do, then I would've been hit with at least 50 points, if not 100, from that hit.

I dropped the projection on the bow and arrows and projected a tower shield like the one Iskan uses and a broadsword.

"Come here!" I shouted and charged him.

A bullywug ambushed, popping up right in front of the archer, and raised its spear up.

Unfortunately for it, I had a shield.

My weight, speed, and shield bashed through the spear and the bullywug. Just as I reached the archer, I spun and struck at the bullywug with a horizontal slash.

The bullywug attempted to jump backward, but its response had been too late. My projected broadsword dug through its left arm, ribs, organs, and more ribs, and came out of the other side.

Just as an arrow struck me in the back, piercing into my left shoulder blade.

I hissed in pain before throwing the broadsword -and charging it up with prana just a second before I threw- towards where the arrow had come from.

I didn't even stop to confirm my kill as I made to run. I'm sure the-

BOOM

-the explosion will kill it.

I jumped, jumped and jumped, dodging an awkward barrage of arrows streaming after my heel. I hissed again as another arrow found perch in my flesh. I threw the shield at the hidden archers, ones to my right. Then I [Reinforced] myself. This time, the arrows ricocheted off me.

"My turn, fuckers," I growled as I projected my pair of brass knuckles. Again, I pumped mana into my limbs and shot forward to the closest bullywug I found with [Sonar].

I punched through a tree and struck the bullywug unconscious. I pulled out my fist before ducking a barrage of arrows aimed at my head. I knew that [Reinforce] had already improved the "strength" of my skin, but even then, a barrage of arrows was not something I could ignore.

'So I don't know where most of them are. Many are outside my [Sonar] range,' I thought before ducking another arrow. 'But I'm also in a forest. Forests are archers' worse enemy. Optimal range reduces to near 10% or even lower because the trees block target and sight.' I ducked another arrow.

'So ... they are just outside of my [Sonar]'s range!'

Without care, I sped forward towards one direction, this way was away from the bullywug city, and found three of the bullywug archers there. "There you are!" I shouted in glee and punched through one's ribs with ease before rounding on the second with an uppercut.

[Your WIS increased by one due to tactical thinking]

I didn't stop moving. This time, I took a direct right turn from where I had come from and found the bullywugs attempting to reposition.

How were they responding so fast?

I grabbed the nearest bullywug.

"Tell me or I kill you," I threatened it. Then I activated [Intimidation]. "How are you responding so fast to my movements?"

The bullywug struggled for a second before my [Intimidation] settled in. It croaked quietly before passing out.

I scoffed. "Weak ass motherfuckers," I muttered before snapping its neck. It took less than three seconds for that bullywug to ... croak. Get it?

I chuckled to my own joke before I crouched down in a snap to dodge another barrage of arrows.

"They repositioned completely already," I muttered. "I knew I should've taken the mountain path around the valley."

* * *

In the end, I didn't get to find out. Most of the bullywugs "croaked" before they answered and those that didn't die after spitting in my face.

Ah, woe is me.

I escaped by running as fast as I could in one direction. At least, I now know that bullywugs are slow compared to me.

As I sat down on the common ground benches by the bonfire, my shoulder blade complained in pain.

Ah, Shirou's heading over to me.

"...You look like shit."

I blinked ."I do?"

"You have more than ... a dozen arrow stuck on you right now," he said as he went around to my back, and pulled out the arrow stuck in my left shoulder blade without a care.

"I do?" I said and then yelped.

"Yup," he replied as he waved three blood-tipped arrows. "You aren't going to sleep until I seal these wounds up. Oi, Senna, I need those herbs!"

* * *

**(Chapter End)**

**(Omake and extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 101:**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]  
LvL 56  
The Gamer**

**Race: Mountain Troll**

**HP: 168.5(+145) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 710 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 416  
DEX: 95  
AGI: 130  
END: 147  
INT: 102  
WIS: 113  
CHA: 61  
Unused Points: 25**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 32**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth**

**Focus:  
Growing**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

**Skills:  
Archery (LvL 13)  
Ambush (LvL 11)  
Baiting (LvL 28)  
Berserker (LvL 1)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 18)  
Charging (LvL 14)  
Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
Crafting (LvL 8) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 2)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Intimidation (LvL 10)  
Leadership (LvL 10)  
Listening (LvL 16)  
Mapping (LvL 4)  
Negotiation (LvL 5)  
Observe (LvL 45) + Structural Analysis  
Physical Durability (LvL 13)  
Projection (LvL 26)  
Reinforcement (LvL 2)  
Running (LvL 34)  
Sonar (LvL 19)  
Teaching (LvL 4)  
Throwing (LvL 20)  
Trapping (LvL 26)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 7)**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**11 Trolls (WoW)  
5 Onis  
1 Faze  
8 Vashta Nerada  
1 Greater Fairy  
3 Kobold (D&amp;D)  
15 imps (WoW + D&amp;D)  
14 fairies**

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -100  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan +1000  
Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +53**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Sholva z'Retvoa +70**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

**1\. END is endurance.**

**2\. Archery didn't go up a lot because of how archery works. Sure, you must hit your targets for the archery to lvl up, but if you hit big ass targets that are hard to miss, then the experience points earned will not be much. An example of that would be Ruto's daily destruction of the budding fort. Forts are big and big things make big targets. Too easy to hit.**

**3\. Harem! I decided to give it a go, but don't expect fluff, lime, lemon, and anything in between.**

**4\. Evolution Tree! Okay. The first one is below. However, I will not be naming every single evolution.**

**4\. Anyone else go up to the mountains for gold panning? Or raw jewel prospecting? Anything in between?**

**5\. People asking me to make Ruto into random demon/monsters. How would any of them fit in there? If you can give me a logical and good reason with an evolution line drawn (within 3~4 evolutions) for your suggestions, I will input those races and characters (named after the suggesters) into the story. It may take time, but give it a go!**

**6\. Also, sorry about taking a bit longer than usual with this one. I was putting out a lot of Obscure Tome instead of this. Well, at least, it's out now.**

* * *

**Evolutionary Pathway, Part 1: the Trolls**

Imps normally evolve to trolls, kobolds, and onis with a recorded ratio of 70:20:10.

From the trolls, they can split into three branches.

The first branch is the "Nature" branch. Their true powers lie in their elemental manipulation. In the Monstrous branch, the troll can evolve to an Elemental Troll, a creature that is half-troll and half-elemental. They can be sub-categorized into Fire, Earth, Water, Wind, Crystalline, and Mana.

Elemental trolls then evolve further towards a more elemental evolutionary pathway. However, these trolls are no longer trolls are three or so evolutions are they are now closer to elementals. At the end of the Nature branch are Elemental Lords and Gods. The power of Elemental God is akin to seven archmages put together; they can create hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and so much more ... with a snap of a finger. Unfortunately, the ratio of becoming elemental troll is less than 1% chance.

The second branch is the "Pure" branch. While not powerful as the Nature branch, this branch keeps the troll's original form. Instead of changing their race, evolutions of this branch become physically stronger. This is the moderate branch in terms of power.

The third branch is the "Humanoid" branch. These trolls lose their form as a troll and become more "human." They do not become completely human, either. Unfortunately, as most of these humanoids evolve in the wild, they die before they are able to reach their end evolution. As such, there are no information or evidence beyond the "demi-troll."


	21. Chapter 21

**It seems that there had been a mistake on my part and I had double posted chapter 19 as chapter 20. **

**Oops**

**Sorry about that. I removed it, and updated this new one as soon as I could. Peace.**

* * *

**Day 115:**

I slowly sat up from my bed in my personal room.

It had been a week since my adventure deep into bullywug territory. It had been ... close for my own life a few times, but I supposed that it was well worth it for what happened afterward.

My "action" deep in their territory had spooked them, and they had called back their bullywugs trying to dig deep into our territory. For me, though, I only cared about the fact that they were no longer bothering me by building their goddamn fort.

Since then, a dozen or so individuals had come to join our clan, and I let them in after I made some rules clear.

Like listen to me and Shirou above all else. You can leave whenever you want. No harming, stealing or insulting others without just cause.

Stuff like that.

I stretched my arms before heading out to eat. I opened the door of my personal quarter into the fort's yard and to my surprise, I found most of the clans there in a loose circle with three in the center.

"Well then, what's this about?"

Everyone's head and eyes turned to me. Some in anticipation, some in fear, and others in curiosity.

The entire clan was at the center of the fort, which I had expanded a bit to make it an L-shape. So they were all gathered at the old bonfire pit, which was now on the other side of the fort.

It was Shirou who spoke up.

"There was a dispute between our two clan members here that became serious," he said and gestured to the two trolls. "Rather than letting the anger stew, I decided to let the two fight it out to settle their disput."

"What were they fighting about?"

"About who's stronger."

I gave Shirou a deadpan stare after a moment. "Really? That's the only issue?"

"Yup. Also, I need you to referee this. I need to get the medicine and food ready before the next four fights are over."

I blinked rapidly. "Four?"

"Apparently, a lot of the trolls and oni's liked the idea of battling it out to show their power," Shirou commented offhandedly before heading over to the kitchens. "Oh, and I need a large piece of flat, sturdy wood for butcher table! Get me one before today's done and I'll be sure to make all of us a feast."

I nodded at the second request without much thought. There was no need to think about it.

On the other hand, I was now saddled with the job of overseeing sparring matches between my clansmen and women.

I hoped that there wasn't going to be anything too serious breaking out.

I walked over to the area where the two trolls were waiting.

To my surprise, it was Yan.

"This is a surprise," I spoke as I entered the edge of the ring and stepped in just a tad further. "I didn't expect you to be here, Yan."

Yan scowled. "Nothing I can't handle, sir. The newbie here thinks he can order me around because of his size."

I turned to the other troll. He was one of the trolls who had joined us half a week ago along with four other trolls and two imps. Unlike our clansmen and women, these trolls were of different color shades. The troll here, whose name was Arlas, was a [Grassland Troll] that had a blackish green compared to the forest green of the trolls that evolved with the clan.

He was also big. Bigger than Yan by a head and almost as big as Iskan.

"Aye, isn't that how it goes? The strong command the weak in exchange for protection?" Arlas questioned me.

I scowled. Something about him ticked me off. Was it how he questioned me or something else?

... Probably something else. Something that has to do with his station here.

"No, we work together to survive out here," I replied with an iron tone. "Make no mistake, none of us here commands another unless it's me or Shirou."

Arlas looked surprised. "You mean the red oni? That puny thing?"

"You'll be plenty surprised, Arlas, about Shirou. But I suggest you to not piss him off," I warned him.

He raised his hands up in a gesture of backing off. "I'm only here to show this punk here who's the stronger troll," he replied.

I looked around the circle. "Alright then," I muttered to myself before speaking out loud. "This is a dispute between Yan and Arlas over who is the stronger troll. The outcome of this sparring match does not mean in any shape or form that the loser is under the command of the winner. Only _I _decide such things!" I turned to both Arlas and Yan. "This is a non-fatal sparring match. Do you two know what that means?"

They both nodded. "No permanent harm."

I nodded back before stepping back. "Then you may begin."

Arlas and Yan circled each other as the clan around them cheered for whoever they liked better.

It seemed like neither were going to move first.

Then in an instant, Arlas was throwing a haymaker at Yan's head, only for the smaller troll to duck and low spin kick the Arlas' reaching leg. Arlas quickly retreated before the kick could connect and he looked surprised. "It is not the way of the Zandali to use the legs," he said.

"But it is the fighting style of this clan," I replied. "There were no restrictions on how you could fight. Get on it."

Arlas grunted, grumbling about favortism.

I brushed the comment off.

Yan was keeping to the low ground and used his speed to his advantage. He was lightning fast with his kicks. He struck out for Arlas' head but mid-kick, he changed the direction of his kick to land a low kick on Arlas' shin when Arlas pulled his head back. Arlas grunted in pain before he rushed his head forward and caught Yan by surprise with a headbutt.

Yan stumbled backward and Arlas didn't stop his assault from there. He punched Yan again and again, and the smaller troll took the blows as he was taught to; to move along with the blow to lessen the damage.

Arlas made another strike, this time at Yan's face, but he overreached and missed.

Yan growled. He jumped and struck Arlas' chin with his knee. The bigger troll's head snapped backward and this time, it was he stumbled backward.

The cheers of the clan were reaching the peak. They knew that the next hit would take out one of them.

To everyone's surprise, but not mine, Yan opened his hand and struck Arlas in the chest with his palm. The big troll bounced backward without resistance and fell on the ground.

I walked over to Arlas's unmoving body and checked his pulse.

Still alive and strong.

I stood up and nodded to Yan before turning to the clan as whole.

"This battle goes to Yan! Arlas must wait a month before he can challenge Yan again. Someone take him to the infirmary."

Infirmary was also a building that was added at Shirou's behest. I never needed such infrastructure, but when Shirou pointed out that everyone else, including himself, needed it, I agreed. It took me half a day to set up the walls and the roof and another half a day to complete in the furnishing inside. It was right next to the residence hall and the food storage.

An oni and a troll helped Arlas onto their shoulders before they helped him away.

Yan looked extremely happy.

I scoffed. "You're going to the infirmary too, pal," I told him quickly. "You have a broken arm."

Yan looked surprise. "I do not. See-!" he said as he held his hands up, only for his left arm to dangle.

"No, I don't see."

Senna and Shirou were next to Yan in an instant, and they healed his broken arm with little healing arts they knew. Senna used [Song of Regeneration]. It was a beautiful song that she sang and I watched in fascination as the arm slowly mended itself.

This was the first time I saw the power of the fairies, but it was still something to be awed at every time I saw it.

Then Shirou bound the arm in a makeshift cast (just a flat piece of wood as long as Yan's forearm and a roll of bandage) with a strict warning to Yan to not take off the bandage or the piece of wood until Shirou or I deemed it to be healed. He looked very downtrodden.

"So who's up next?" I asked the clan.

To my surprise, it was Candy and Iskan.

"And your dispute?"

"I get to take her as my mate if I win," Iskan said with a grunt.

I raised an eyebrow. I turned to Candy. "And you agreed to this?"

Candy nodded. "Because if I win, I get to order him around for the rest of his life. Barring your own orders, of course."

I scowled, but if that's what they decided to do, I wasn't going to stop them.

"Alright then. To your positions."

* * *

So the results from the fight was as the following:

_Yan vs. Arlas in non-fatal combat - Yan's Victory. Strength dispute._  
_Candy vs. Iskan in non-fatal combat- Double knockout. Dispute settled._  
_Dresa vs. Yomarr(troll) in non-fatal, friendly sparring - Dresa's Victory._  
_Senna vs. Reio(fairy) in non-fatal, friendly plant growing - Senna's Victory._

The last one had been ... weird, so to say. The fairies apparently always had a competition of who can grow plants faster and anything else along the lines of plants. It was interesting to see, especially when Senna just grew a tomato from its seed to a full plant in 5 minutes.

* * *

**Day 116:**

To the clan's surprise, there had apparently been another small tribe of monsters less than a mountain's distance from our own fort.

Unfortunately, they were nowhere near strong as we were nor as numbered.

They came to me asking for help, and they had something to offer in exchange.

I led the chief into my personal quarters and sat down on my bed, offering him the only chair inside the room. The chief of the Nomore Tribe, which was made up of kobolds, came and bowed to me. "Please help us."

I blinked. "Please sit, Chief of Nomore," I said, trying to put up a formal tone to my never-trained voice (unless it was to shout). "Why do you need our help?"

The kobold chief quickly stood up, sat, and wrung his hands. He was taller than Dresa, who was about 1.4 meters tall. While shorter than most trolls, he had some bulky muscles underneath those scales. My quick use of [Observe] told me what I already knew; the kobold chief here had a STR of 240. It may be only half of what I had, but chief's STR stat was definitely higher than anyone else in my clan outside of Iskan.

"The bullywugs... they raided our village. They took seven of our people!" he said.

"Do you know where the kidnappers were heading?" I asked.

"Towards one of their cities. A-Ancroca, if I know the name right."

Ping!

**[Area Discovered!]**

Suddenly, a map of the region around us came into life. It was in a moldy, yellow-brown color. It marked the mountains around us and the valley. It showed the bullywug city that I had failed to infiltrate (or besiege). Everything else was covered in a gray, cloud-like stuff.

Then two small portions of the map opened up east of the valley.

The first of these areas was situated about a kilometer away from our own fort. [Tribe of Nomore]

The second of these areas was situated further 3 kilometers away. [Ancroca]

"When did this happen?"

"Less than half a day ago," he grovelled. "Our tribe suspect that it'll be less than two days before o-our people will be either eaten or sold to slavery. Probably to the orcs."

My focus sharpened at the mention of orcs.

I hated them, now that I thought about it. What I heard from Andrews Maulta, the elf Alchemist, didn't help me much either, not when they were raiding and looting everyone around them.

My former colony had been looted as well.

"Two days?"

He nodded quickly. "We'll give you anything you wish," he added quickly as he fumbled inside the bag he had brought. "I brought a sample of what we can provide."

He held out a small, dark stone. It had a shade of purple to it. I held it and used [Observe].

**[Item: Void Stone**  
**Description: **  
**A rare material that was forged in the heart of a Devouring Star. **  
**Quality:**  
**A-**  
**Market Price: (Available due to Negotiation + past trades)**  
**17,000 G]**

My eyes popped out. This was a fantastic good that I was holding! And they were willing to give this to me in exchange for rescueing their people?

Then a thought hit me.

"Why not ask the humans or elves? They would be willing to spare a small army for this."

Kobold Chief grunted. "An army to take our village instead of rescueing our people. No 'civilized' race helps a kobold honestly."

I nodded. "I will help you as time is of the essence."

Ping!

**New Quest!**

**[Nomore Tribe request Rescue!**  
**Requirement:**  
***Bring back as many of **Nomore** tribesmen and women back to Kobold Chief of **Nomore**.**  
**Failure:**  
***All hostages are dead.**

**Reward:**  
***Void Stone (+Negotiation)]**

* * *

**(Chapter End)**

**(Omake and extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 115:**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]  
LvL 59  
The Gamer**

**Race: Mountain Troll**

**HP: 168.5(+145) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 710 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 458  
DEX: 100  
AGI: 130  
END: 152  
INT: 115  
WIS: 115  
CHA: 71  
Unused Points: 36**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 32**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth**

**Focus:  
Growing**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

**Skills:  
Archery (LvL 13)  
Ambush (LvL 11)  
Baiting (LvL 28)  
Berserker (LvL 1)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 18)  
Charging (LvL 14)  
Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
Crafting (LvL 8) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 2)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Intimidation (LvL 10)  
Leadership (LvL 10)  
Listening (LvL 16)  
Mapping (LvL 4)  
Negotiation (LvL 5)  
Observe (LvL 45) + Structural Analysis  
Physical Durability (LvL 13)  
Projection (LvL 26)  
Reinforcement (LvL 2)  
Running (LvL 34)  
Sonar (LvL 19)  
Teaching (LvL 4)  
Throwing (LvL 20)  
Trapping (LvL 26)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 7)**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**# (reference) (important figures)**

**18 Trolls (WoW) (Ruto, Yan, Iskan)  
7 Onis (Shirou)  
1 Faze (Candy)  
8 Vashta Nerada  
1 Greater Fairy (Senna)  
3 Kobold (D&amp;D) (Dresa)  
16 imps (WoW + D&amp;D)  
19 fairies**

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -100  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan +1000  
Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +53**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Sholva z'Retvoa +70**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**


	22. Chapter 22

**Day 117:**

With both Yan and Iskan recovering along with the more stronger fighters of the clan (as a result of yesterday's tournament), I decided to take Shirou with me instead. I put Candy and Senna in charge of the clan while I was away.

I told Shirou about the request and when I did, his eyes hardened.

He agreed without resistance to help the Nomore tribe.

I opened up the map and showed him where we needed to go, a rough 4 kilometer run from our clan's fort to Ancroca. While 4 kilometers may not seem much, our clan and Ancroca had a lot of mountains and valleys in between.

Fortunately for me and Shirou, we were both able to use [Reinforcement]. With [Running] and that spell, we both agreed to run towards that fort at our top speed.

* * *

I landed loudly on twigs and fallen leaves with my hands on two tree trunks to stop my own momentum.

Shirou landed besides me on my right with considerably less noise. He also looked much more graceful. Like a puma stalking a prey through the thicks of its jungle territory.

'Was that not the truth for us too, though?' I wondered.

The bullywugs, as much as an annoyance they were, were no match for me and Shirou, not if we decided to go all out. I know that Shirou had more in his "armory" than anyone else I've seen, even more than the Sandaime Hokage-jiji in my previous life. Shirou just didn't like boasting about that.

So I could take out forts with ease. If I decided to rapid-fire my Bomb Arrows, a bullywug city would also be no issue. But I didn't.

We were keeping the bullywugs around for several reason. The first being that they were our source of income. In my conversation with the human merchant Sholva z'Retvoa, I learned that there were other parts of the bullywug that could be used aside from its collarbone. So I agreed to sell those as well.

The second reason was that while the bullywugs were a deterrent for the Listed from moving against us for our resources. Once the bullywugs were gone, there was no reason for the Listed dukes, kings, and warriors from moving against us to secure our resources.

This put the bullywugs under me and my clan: a predator to prey relationship, even if they were sentient and sapient creature like us (just with lower overall intelligence).

With no other competing clans looking to take over the valleys, it made my clan the dominant power in this area.

But even so, it seemed that I needed to make a statement to them.

To not mess with other races.

"Can you tell where they might be kept from here?" I asked Shirou as we peered down at the bullywug city at the foot of the mountain.

Shirou stared at the city for a second before shaking his head. "No."

Ancroca, the bullywug city in question, looked better than the unnamed bullywug city I had failed to infiltrate a week earlier. It had sturdy wooden walls in several layers. The buildings within the walls had stone foundation as well as decent walls. And then there was the building in the center. Built upon a large rock as well as being carved out of it, it had a ominous feel to it that bullywugs simply didn't give off.

"What do you suppose that is?" I asked him, pointing to the building in the center.

"Apparently, it's their place of worship," Shirou said. "The history of the place is .. rich, I suppose. They worship something big and long that sleeps underneath the rock the ... temple?... yes, the temple was built upon."

"Huh."

It wasn't until we moved less than half a kilometer close to the city that Shirou, whose [Structural Analysis] outranked mine by a very wide margin, was able to tell where the Nomore tribespeople were being kept hostage.

"These bullywugs have cages on the other side of the city right at the center of the valley. They frequently trade with orcs, it seems."

I looked at him in shock. "Orcs come here often?!"

Shirou paused for a second, looking more intently towards what I could not see. "Yes. It's a very small group, though. No more than four. I'm afraid the histories of objects I am reading don't tell me more."

It was enough, though.

"Do you think we can get away with blowing this city up?" I asked him as I projected a bow and a Bomb Arrow.

Shirou looked at my Bomb Arrow with but a glance before...

"Trace On."

I paused as I sensed magic in Shirou's body. He held his hand out.

"You've been having a lot of fun, Ruto. It's my turn today," he said as a bow and ... a sword appeared in his hands. The sword -because of its handle- had a more lance like twisting "blade." Shirou nocked the sword onto the bowstring and as he pulled back, the blade elongated and its twisted blade panned out like nodes on bamboo. Extremely thin, deadly looking, steel bamboo packed to the brim with mana.

And I could _feel _the strain of its structure and the magic contained within. It made my arrows look ... quite puny and laughable.

If I had to describe it to someone, it would be like watching a mountain grow in fast forward. It was a mounting dread that made me sweat like a prey.

_If I get hit by this, I'm dead._

And I realized that the true powerhouse of my clan was not me, but _Shirou_.

With a final pull and a steady release of his breath, he let the arrow loose.

The arrow tore through the distance between Shirou and the city, twisting the very air it passed by. It created steam from the mere friction of its passage through air.

And when it struck...

It was a punch of a wrathful god. It exploded into a bloom of red and violet. The explosion expanded like a ball before erupting like a volcano. Stones -now lava- spewed everywhere around. This didn't account for the heat it made. Even from where I stood, I could feel the heat that rushed against me. The heat alone was same as a bonfire, only if you were less than half a dozen meters away from it. A skin-blistering heat that served no purpose but to burn.

I quickly [Observed] Shirou and to my shock, not even a hundredth of his mana reserve was gone.

Shirou stood there, watching and dispelled his black bow. "I purposely aimed it away from the city's center towards the opposite side of where the hostages were being kept. They should be alright."

'If they're physically okay after that, they won't be mentally fine,' I thought sarcastically before heading into the fire pit first. 'They will forever fear the "Pink Wrath."'

* * *

As I had suspected, the entire area had been turned into near lava. The ground was cooling faster than it should due to the inflow of water from the surrounding swamp, but even so, it was not cooling quickly.

What remained of what was once a tall, wooden walls was now nothing but few charcoals that did not have the strength to stand more than half a meter tall. Even the stone foundation once which their temple had been built upon was a shade of its former self.

This was what Shirou could do on a whim. I was nowhere close to he was, even if I was physically stronger than him.

Just what kind of shit did he have to face in his previous life?

I shook my head of those thoughts before heading over to the still remaining cages. And just as Shirou said, they were fine.

Well, they looked like death had passed by.

Unfortunately, we had arrived too late to save all of them. One of the kobolds, or what remained of her, laid to the side by a blown off butcher table.

To my surprise, though, there were others. They dressed differently from the Nomore tribespeople and were of different species. There were trolls, onis, fish-like guys, snake-like guys, orcs, and more. I opened the cages on all of them and told everyone but the Nomore tribe to leave.

The Nomore tribe were shivering in our presence. I smiled in an attempt to assure them, but instead of assuring the, it made them more hesitant to speak with me.

At that point, Shirou intervened before I could make it worse. "We were requested by the chief of the Nomore tribe, a kobold with jadite ring."

They looked hopeful at his statement.

"Let's get you guys home."

* * *

It took us half a day -compared to less than half an hour it took for me and Shirou to arrive by the city and annihilate it- to return to our fort with the baggage in tow. Several of the tribespeople were too injured to walk by themselves. Thankfully, their small size allowed me to put one on each shoulder while Shirou carried another on his back.

When we arrived at our clan fort, we were greeted by a cheer of all-too-happy Nomore tribespeople from both sides and grins of approval from the clan.

I supposed that this was a good thing Shirou and I did.

We had another party, this time to celebrate both Shirou's effort in the rescue and the safe return of the Nomore tribespeople.

* * *

**Day 118:**

The surprise came today when the Nomore tribe chief asked to see me in private.

I suspected that it was to negotiate the reward that my clan was promised. I allowed the chieftain to enter my personal quarter believing that the small kobold was going to attempt to lower the reward for whatever reasons he had.

In hindsight, I should have expected this.

"What?" I asked in shock.

"The Nomore Tribe have come to an agreement, Chief Ruto of Ironwood Clan. We would become your loyal vassal in exchange for security."

I really should have expected it.

1\. My clan was the only clan strong enough in the area to fight against the bullywug effectively, even if our clan's fighting power rested mostly with two individuals.  
2\. We just wiped out a bullywug city to rescue their people.  
3\. My Charisma was pretty fucking high compared to their own chief's (71 to 27).  
4\. We were general badasses.

So apparently, the chief didn't come to talk to me to cheat me of my reward but to ... swear fealty and loyalty.

"Uh ... wow," I muttered. "I'm sorry, but I was not expecting this."

The kobold chief just bowed low, even though I told him not to. "This is the only way for our tribe to serve, Chief Ruto, and for you to gain greater power."

Oh, I get it. He and his tribe was hoping to entice my "powermongering" side that they must see me as.

... I look like a powermonger to them?

"You think this is what I want?" I asked him as I leaned on my right arm and knee.

He hesitated a bit.

'[Observe: Condition],' I mentally intoned.

**Chief Nagri of Nomore**  
**LvL 26**

**Trait:**  
**Humble, Strong, Quick, Deceitful, Craven**

**Mood:**  
**Scared, [Intimidated]**

'Oops, looks like that skill activated again,' I thought to myself after seeing the [Intimidated] spec. I consciously deactivated the skill.

I didn't like the chief's traits, to be honest. He was humble, yes, but he was also a craven and deceitful kobold. That could prove to be a problem later in whatever position this kobold and his tribe would find themselves in in relation to me and my clan.

"B-Because sir, I was lying to you about the void stone."

I froze.

What?

I must have spoken out loud in rather terrifying tone because his [Intimidated] debuff came back with a vengeance of x2 attached to it. It meant that whatever debuff my current skill was applying was doubled.

"T-The only void stone we possessed was the one I had s-shown you, sir..! Please forgive me!" he said as he grovelled. "I just wanted to see my son and daughter safe and well! Please don't harm them!"

My anger, which had been boiling up, receded a bit at that. 'So he risked his own neck to save his family from what was going to be either death or slavery,' I thought to myself. 'But it doesn't excuse him from this deal.' I paused for a bit. "Then it seems that your tribes decision to fall under my rule is wise. Otherwise, I might have just enslaved them all myself." 'Untrue, but little bit of threat won't hurt.'

He paled before grovelling even deeper.

"You will return every month with whatever precious material you can scrounge up. And your tribute better be good lest you taste the same anger that I used to reduce the bullywugs into nothing. I will also be keeping the void stone," I told him. "In exchange, we will provide you with the protection you seek, but make no mistake. My clan and I _will not _accept backstabbers and liars nor will we give them a second chance. Now go!"

He scurried out.

And I sat back with a sigh.

'And Shirou calls me a cynic.'

* * *

**(Chapter End)**

**(Omake and extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 117:**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]  
LvL 59  
The Gamer**

**Race: Mountain Troll**

**HP: 168.5(+145) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 710 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 458  
DEX: 100  
AGI: 130  
END: 152  
INT: 115  
WIS: 115  
CHA: 71  
Unused Points: 36**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 32**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth**

**Focus:  
Growing**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

**Skills:  
Archery (LvL 13)  
Ambush (LvL 11)  
Baiting (LvL 28)  
Berserker (LvL 1)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 18)  
Charging (LvL 14)  
Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
Crafting (LvL 8) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 2)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Intimidation (LvL 10)  
Leadership (LvL 10)  
Listening (LvL 16)  
Mapping (LvL 4)  
Negotiation (LvL 5)  
Observe (LvL 45) + Structural Analysis  
Physical Durability (LvL 13)  
Projection (LvL 26)  
Reinforcement (LvL 2)  
Running (LvL 34)  
Sonar (LvL 19)  
Teaching (LvL 4)  
Throwing (LvL 20)  
Trapping (LvL 26)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 7)**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**# (reference) (important figures)**

**18 Trolls (WoW) (Ruto, Yan, Iskan)  
7 Onis (Shirou)  
1 Faze (Candy)  
8 Vashta Nerada  
1 Greater Fairy (Senna)  
3 Kobold (D&amp;D) (Dresa)  
16 imps (WoW + D&amp;D)  
19 fairies**

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -100  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan +1000  
Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +53  
Nomore Tribe +600 (Vassal)**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Sholva z'Retvoa +70**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*I update regularly. Once every 1.5 weeks. I hope to, at least. Or it may be longer. Or shorter.

*As for the Focus, yeah, Ruto can no longer use it. While I thought the Focus was a great plot point, I decided to better juggle what I had on my hands than risk the story's flow (or at least what I can conjure with the best of my abilities) by having too many details for all readers to memorize.


	23. Chapter 23

**Day 118(continued):**

_Previouly..._

_'And Shirou calls me a cynic,' I thought as I watched the Nomore chief leave._

Ping!

**[Quest Complete!**  
**Reward:**  
**1 Void Stone**  
**Vassalization of Nomore Tribe]**

"Ugh," I sighed as I stood up. "Let's see what Shirou can make with this."

* * *

"Shirou turned in for the night?" I repeated and Candy nodded. "But it's only dusk."

The clan had just seen the Nomore tribe out, no one but me and the Nomore chief knowing my anger towards him.

"He said that sleeping early helps to recover his magic reserve faster, so no one bothered him for it."

I narrowed my eyes. His mana reserve was still up by nearly 95% when we got back. So why did he lie? Was he plotting something? He was sure to know that I was weaker than him now.

Wait.

Hell! He always did know I was weaker than him! And he didn't challenge me for the right to rule the clan...?

Oh right. This is Shirou. He doesn't want to do anything like that.

Ugh, me and my cynicism. I have to get rid of this trait soon.

I shrugged again and left to turn in for the night as well.

* * *

**Day 119:**

"Yo!"

BOOM

From the smoking ruins of what was once a delicate work in progress, Shirou turned around and glared with all the hatred he could muster. "...You bastard."

I grinned. "Aww, is our Tinkerman sad that his latest invention blew up?"

"That was your gun."

I slumped in despair.

"Yeah, thanks for ruining it," he spat testily.

"How does a gun blow up anyway?" I asked.

"I was trying to make sure that there was a rune schematic inside the gun so that you won't have to reload. Actually, it will be your mana that will be the bullets for this gun. In attempting to reduce the mana cost efficiency, I made the rune a bit too volatile. It was going to stabilize once I completed it, but your bloody shout made me lose it!" he growled back.

I backed up with my hands up in surrender. "Alright, man, I'm sorry."

He scoffed. "Run off and do your usual thing, Ruto. I really need to focus."

* * *

And so that was how I was kicked out of his workshop and helping the fairies harvest the crops. While the fairies could make the plants grow fast, they couldn't harvest by themselves due to their small size.

So several onis, several trolls, and I were helping the fairies in harvesting the ripe vegetables, fruits, and berries from our farm.

Well...

Technically, this was training for the harvesters.

I thought it would be nice for our clansmen and women to passively gain some muscle. To that end, I projected a flat slab of iron about my hand's width and securely tied it around their back.

It's probably the reason half of them are glaring at me.

"Alright then, Bullywug Cullers, let's meet up at the main gate after this! We're going out to hunt!"

There were few cheers here and there.

Because you see, this was going to be the first hunt for the "newbies."

When Arlas and few trolls joined us along with other stragglers, some of them had joined the Bullywug Hunting Party (as I called it). Some of them had some bad blood with the bullywugs as well, so everyone was looking for to this.

* * *

It was noon when everyone was ready. There were a total of nine fighters including me.

Iskan the Tank, Yan the Carver, Ran and Sou the Twin Archers, and I, Chief Ruto the Bloody Fist, were the senior members of this team.

I honestly don't know who in the clan decided to make those nicknames.

And then the newbies were Arlas, Kagan, Vevori, and Srall. With the exception of Srall, an oni, rest were trolls. Arlas took on a tank gear like Iskan. Kagan and Vevori copied Yan's gear. Srall... Well, he was the only magic-only magician in the entire clan. He wore short, a cotton pair of pants, a cotton, short-sleeve shirt, and a pair of basilisk hide boots. And he carried around a staff.

Srall was an oddity, according to everyone except Shirou and me. He was an oni, yes, but at the same time, he practiced the human and elvish magic arts of Elemental Magic. This was an oddity because most onis delve into runes and scripts, according to my clan again. I myself gave it a little thought and allowed him to be on our bullywug hunting team because he showed magical combat prowess that Shirou accepted.

"Do you all have your food?" I asked them all.

They all nodded back, some showing me their cotton wrapped cooked corns, potatoes, and the like.

"Weapons are all sharp?"

Iskan pressed a finger over his shield and dragged it down. There was fingerprint residues leftover instead of his shield losing dust or dirt.

"Alright then," I grinned as I checked my own food in the Inventory. "Let's move. I'll debrief you all on the way."

We waved goodbye to our other clanspeople and made our way towards the swamp valleys below.

Once we were on the edge of the swamp valley, I motioned for the party to gather around me. "Ever since my first stunt near their city, the bullywugs have all pulled back to what I would call their 'Core' territories," I told them as I pulled out a map drawn on deer hide. I had drawn this map so that it'll be easier for my non-Gamer clan members to visualize the local area.

I pointed to where I had lightly colored in red east of the swamp valley that we were in and northeast of our clan fort. The area was just above where Ancroca used to be.

"We will be following the edge of the swamp valley to make our way close to their core territory. From there, we will be raiding their outskirt towns and villages. Any questions?"

"Yeah, boss," Yan answered easily. "You mentioned that these guys are learning to trap?"

I blinked. Huh, I had forgotten about that. "Yup. They have been learning from me, it seems. I think that's one of the reasons why I decided to take the edge of the swamp valley rather than through it when I was planning the route yesterday night." I pointed to the other side of the valley on the map. "We're currently on the south-facing side of the valley. The north-facing valley is lightly packed with lethal traps. The swamp valley in the middle is heavily littered with similar traps. It isn't until we reach maybe a kilometer from their core territory that we won't find any traps in the swamps."

"They certainly left behind a mess for us to work out, eh?" Iskan commented.

I chuckled. "More like they shat themselves as they ran."

* * *

It took us an hour to reach the nearest bullywug village.

"A small one," I muttered to myself as I looked down at the village in the swamps. There was probably a total of fifty bullywugs in that village. A small amount considering their race's explosive breeding rate. I turned to my bullywug hunters. "Alright. I won't be fighting here. I'll keep watch instead."

The party let out a whoop before they sped forward for their kills.

I sat where they left me and kept my [Sonar] at its peak output.

Ping!

**[Sonar LvLed Up!]**

Ping!

**LvL Up!**  
**END +4**  
**WIS +1**  
**CHA +1**

"Huh," I muttered to myself as I dismissed the alert messages. It had been some time since the last [Sonar] LvL Up. How far did it stretch now?

I paused and activated the spell.

A small burst of thin layerof magic sped forth from me, bouncing off plants, animals, and rocks.

100 meters...

I could see a bullywug running away but it was killed by an arrow. Probably Ran or Sou.

200 meters...

I could see the party fighting inside of the bullywug village. Ran had already finished shooting and was harvesting the collarbones and other ingrediants in demand from the bullywugs.

300 meters...

Just tree and animals.

400 meters...

500 meters...

600 meters...

700 meters...

800 meters...

900 meters...

Getting too fuzzy to read anything after that.

I smirked. At least with this, I won't ever be ambushed.

I let out another burst of [Sonar] spell as I waited.

* * *

It took the party less than half an hour to clean up, harvesting the bones and organs, which I dumped into my Inventory.

It took us two hours to get back in the dimming light.

"Hey, what's that smoke?" Sou asked no-one in particular.

I looked up to see the thin pillar of smoke that Sou was gesturing to.

"That's where the fort is."

I froze for a second before I [Reinforced] my legs and sped ahead, ignoring the shocked cries of my clan members.

When I reached the base of the Twin Peaks' plateau, I saw my clan fort under siege ... from humans.

They had surrounded the fort and were firing their arrows. Some hauled rocks and others torches. Some of them were on horses while heavily armored and armed men waited infantrymen to put up ladders.

They were invading my home!

Then I saw one of the clansman, a troll by the name of Tuchak, get shot in the chest. He stood there for a second before he keeled forward and fell over.

My heart beat faster and faster as I took it all in.

My vision began to haze over with red.

**[Temper Broken!]**

I projected my brass knuckles and _jumped_.

The closest human, who was manning a ballista of sort, didn't even realize he died when my fist took off his head, ripping the bones and muscles away with barely any resistance.

The splash of blood and squelching behind them made a few humans turn around to see, and they screamed when they saw me.

I punched through the face of another human, a crossbowman. I pulled by fist out, grabbed the dead body, and used it as a club against the humans turning against me.

"Ruto!"

I looked up and saw Shirou on the fort's wall, fighting back an armored human wielding a longsword. "I'm coming, Shirou!" I shouted back.

"We can't hold for long! Make it quick!" he snapped at me before he sped up. He disappeared and then reappeared behind the knight in the span of a second. The knight's head and helmet split from his shoulders, and the body slumped forward less than a second later. "There's too many of them!"

I roared as I side-stepped a thrusted pike before grabbing and pulling it out out of the human soldier's hand. I turned to one of the mounted soldiers and hurled it. It flew over the heads of the infantrymen and struck through the man's abdomen. It let out a whimper before he fell over.

That immediately alerted the entire human invaders to my position, and they shifted their focus from the fort to me.

Exactly -kind of- what I wanted.

I Immediately projected metal armor on top of the leather jacket I was wearing. "Come here, you sons of bitches!" I roared and struck a pikemen in the face with three hammer fist strike. Then on my third strike, I struck, pulled back, and push-kicked the pikemen into his allies.

I grunted as my rib armor dispelled from a sword strike. I spin kicked the bastard in the head, and he bounced away like a skipping stone.

The humans backed away from me as one of them were shouting over the others. Then between their pikemen and swordsmen, archers and crossbowmen appeared with their aim already on me.

I doubled the man in my legs' [Reinforcement] and jumped as they shot. I only quickly jumped only three meters above the ground, but it was enough for the arrows and fly by where I had been.

'Dumbasses,' I thought as I watched them kill their own allies in the crossfire.

I landed with a heavy thump and jumped at a particularly ugly archer. I grabbed his arm and jerked it. He cried out in pain, but I wasn't done.

I pulled him towards me and used the momentum of my jump and pull to spin forward in place. I dragged the archer in the spin, and as I made my full spin landing, I let him go. His body struck the shield of a knight and the force of the toss pushed them away.

I stood up and looked around.

Now, the circle around me was about ten meters wide with most of the human force surrounding me. "Che," I grunted.

Then, to my surprise, the bullywug party appeared.

They flanked the south side of the encirclement ad began to make their work.

I grinned. "I guess I shouldn't be playing around anymore then!" I laughed as I projected two half-meter wide broadswords. I struck out at a small group of knights, probably the leaders of this human attackers, but I winced when several arrows dug into my back. "Get back here!" I shouted at the archers, who were backing off. I pumped mana into the broadsword held in my right hand, broke it like I did with my arrows, and hurled it like I did with the pike before at the archers.

The broadsword spun without care before digging into the shoulder of an archer.

Then it blew up.

The entire battlefield shook with the shock of the explosion.

There was a pause in the humans before some of them began to run away.

I didn't give a shit and used their pause to behead two last knights.

It was like a floodgate had opened when the last knights fell, and everyone of the human attackers began to run in fear.

I growled at the cowardice and projected my bow and shot at them without mercy.

"Don't let single one of them get away!" I roared. I saw Ran and Sou shoot at the deserters.

I stopped for a moment as my rage bled away. I looked over the battlefield and raised an eyebrow.

It was odd.

Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping!

**LvL Up!**

**STR +4**  
**DEX +1**

**LvL Up!**

**STR +3**  
**END +4**

**LvL Up!**

**AGI +2**  
**CHA +2**  
**Power +2**

"Huh," I muttered before opening up the Stat Screen. "I'll dump them those extra points later," I told myself as I closed it again.

And it kind of freaked me out. My reaction, that is.

I was in a "bloodrage" that made me go on a killing spree, but as soon as my rage fell, I was back to my semi-logical self in a split second.

[Wroth] and [Gamer's Mind] were some serious shit. They messed with my mind so easily.

I shook my head, dismissing those thoughts in favor of checking up on my clan.

"Shirou, anyone hurt there?!"

There was silence.

I made my way over to the bullywug hunters first and grimaced.

Everyone was around a troll, who was on the floor with a sword sticking out of his ribs. There was too much blood.

I pushed aside Iskan and froze.

"Yan..."

Yan shakily turned his head a bit and grinned. "H-Hey, b-boss... I don't-t t-think I'm g-gonna make it."

He raised his unhurt left hand slightly. I knelt and took the hand. "Don't be a sissy. Shirou's coming." His hand was too weak. He was going too pale.

Yan tried to chuckle, but he only spat out blood.

"B-Been fun, b-boss..."

And his hand dropped and his eyes became vacant.

I stared at Yan's blank face before I stood up. "Anyone else hurt?" I asked.

They shook their head, even though most of them had cut wounds on their arms and legs.

I turned and ran over to the fort, jumping over the walls easily, ignoring the ruined crop.

I grimaced at the sight that met me.

The residence hall was half-burnt down. Shirou was by the side of wounded clansmen and women, but two of them already had a cloth draped over their face.

"How many dead?" I asked him.

"A dozen. Maybe more. Dead imps disappear," Dresa said as she made her way over to us. "What the hell was this about?!" she snarled. "Why did the humans attack us when we just made a trade agreement with them!?"

Shirou and I looked at each other, and both of us knew that neither of us knew what the humans were here about.

"We don't know who or why they attacked us," I told her bluntly. But I raised my head and looked at alert messages.

I dismissed them once by one until I was looking at the last one.

**[You have defeated a portion of Erlen Shkifield's Host to Reclaim Southern Carpathi!**  
**-1000 standing**  
**+20 fame]**

"But I'll be sure to make them pay." I turned to the clan as two trolls unlocked the gate and the bullywug hunting party came in with their dead comrade in the arms of Iskan. "But gather up any human survivors. I _will _find out who ordered this attack on us!"

* * *

**(Chapter End)**

**(Omake and extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 119:**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]  
LvL 63  
The Gamer**

**Race: Mountain Troll**

**HP: 168.5(+145) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 710 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 520  
DEX: 105  
AGI: 133  
END: 156  
INT: 122  
WIS: 119  
CHA: 79  
Unused Points: 20**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Fame: ? +20**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth**

**Focus:  
Growing**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

**Skills:  
Archery (LvL 13)  
Ambush (LvL 11)  
Baiting (LvL 28)  
Berserker (LvL 1)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 18)  
Charging (LvL 14)  
Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
Crafting (LvL 8) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 2)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Intimidation (LvL 10)  
Leadership (LvL 10)  
Listening (LvL 16)  
Magic Resistance (LvL 1)  
Mapping (LvL 4)  
Negotiation (LvL 5)  
Observe (LvL 45) + Structural Analysis  
Physical Durability (LvL 13)  
Projection (LvL 27)  
Reinforcement (LvL 3)  
Running (LvL 34)  
Sonar (LvL 20)  
Teaching (LvL 5)  
Throwing (LvL 20)  
Trapping (LvL 26)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 7)**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**# (reference) (important figures)**

**14 Trolls (WoW) (Ruto, Iskan)  
6 Onis (Shirou)  
1 Faze (Candy)  
8 Vashta Nerada  
1 Greater Fairy (Senna)  
2 Kobold (D&amp;D) (Dresa)  
10 imps (WoW + D&amp;D)  
18 fairies**

**Imprisoned:  
6 humans (injured)**

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -100  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan +1000  
Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +53  
Nomore Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Erlen Shkitfield's Host to Reclaim Southern Carpathi -1000**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Sholva z'Retvoa +70  
**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*I update regularly. Once every 2 weeks, at least. At least, it's faster than most updates! Admittedly with lower word count...

*As for the Focus, yeah, Ruto can no longer use it. While I thought the Focus was a great plot point, I decided to better juggle what I had on my hands than risk the story's flow (or at least what I can conjure with the best of my abilities) by having too many details for all readers to memorize.

*There had been questions about romance. Relax. There will be some. Just not yet. Maybe once the fort is a town.

*Ruto being weaker? Likely. This is because I didn't want to make Ruto the penultimate being for the story. It'll be too ... easy. No plot. I mean, if he grew too strong too fast, then he'll just wreck through everything and the entire story will be "veni vidi vici" without end. Not fun to write or read. So it was unnecessary for Ruto to be weaker than _someone _that he knows.

*Long to mid range attacks. I intend to make Ruto more like Berserker from Fate Stay/night (Heracles). It doesn't mean that he won't be able to use long-range attacks or have counters for them. It just won't be his main fighting style. I mean, he has melee traits and buffs everywhere along with a shit load of endurance.

* **Fallen-Ryu**! You're very close to one of my new skills for Ruto! Kudos!

*Well, school starts again tomorrow for me. So update may be slower than it had been for the past month.

*Yes, I killed Yan. But casualties happen in battles. For a small clan like Ruto's Ironwood Clan, casualty is usually someone close to him.


	24. Chapter 24

**Day 120:  
**

We stood at the eastern peak of the Twin Peaks in the minutes before dawn. It was cold and cloudy, but it was a small pain we were all willing to go through to give the last rite for our fallen brethren.

It had been less than a full day since the attack on my clan by the Host of Shkifield and we had a funeral for the dead that night. It was huge funeral pyre just outside of our fort, and we gathered the ash into a box. We tossed the human bodies to the swamp for the bullywugs to defile.

Now, my clan and I stood on this peak to give our final farewell.

I left the speech to Shirou, who seemed to be better at it than myself; he also possessed [Public Speaking] of 13 to my 0.

He stood just a few meters apart from us, standing at the very edge of the peak facing east. He was dressed in solemn black fur and leather that he had pulled out with his [Tracing]. The rest of the clan worse the darkest color we had in the storage.

Shirou was speaking, but I didn't pay attention to it. I was too busy scolding myself for being so weak.

"... Let us not forget our comrades who died by our side. Now we release them to the wind, free forevermore from this harsh world that took their life," Shirou finished as he opened the ash box. He scooped his hand into it and threw the ash out in a slow, drifting fashion.

"And we release them into the morning winds and wish them the best of luck in their next adventure," he added as the first light of the day broke through the horizon. "Farewell, my friends. I hope to see you again."

The [Public Speaking] must be some powerful skill, because I was getting emotional,not that I wasn't beforehand, but still even more.

'I was weak,' I thought to myself as I stood watching Shirou dig into the ash again and let it drift in the wind. 'I am not even the strongest warrior of my clan, the very clan that I have built.' I looked at Shirou. 'Did I become complacent because I was surrounded by weaklings like the bullywugs?' I questioned myself. 'Did I relax from my early days as an imp because I had become "the big bad wolf"?'

**[Temper Threshold reached]**

I closed my eyes and breathed slowly and deeply.

Fucking [Wroth].

Still... my anger was placed right; I had become complacent. Because I was not smart enough, because I was not resourceful enough, my clan had paid for my mistakes in lives.

I should've realized that those contacts with the Listed races would have drawn attention to me. I had depended too much on the bullywugs to act as a deterrent,' I thought angrily.

Then as Shirou threw the last of the ashes to the wind, I turned around to leave.

Someone grabbed a hold of my jacket. I only glanced over my shoulder to see who it was.

It was Candy.

"Where are you going?" she asked quietly as to not interrupt the rite.

"To grow stronger."

Candy stared at me with her featureless face before sighing. "Train the rest of us too."

I looked at her sharply as I shifted my body towards her.

She led me away from clan as Shirou stepped down, ending the funeral rite.

"Look," she hissed. "I get that it wasn't pretty. A lot of our clanmates died. My own father was injured pretty griveiously by their damned paladins!" She paused. "The same ones you killed at the end of the battle. I guess I have you to thank for that. But your current thought processes are in no way the right way!"

I frowned. "What was I going to do?"

"You were going to push yourself to the limit, no? Then you were going to go chase after those humans, especially that Skhkifield guy."

Then I narrowed my eyes. "Candy... how did you read my mind?"

She paused before she spoke. "I didn't. Your face was enough for me to know what you might do."

I grunted. I guess I need to have better facial control as well.

"I get it. We all get it," she continued. "We all want to kill that fucker for attacking us. But you cannot just leave us here!"

"Who said anything about leaving?"

She growled, the first time I've heard her do that. "Don't you even get it? The mere fact that most of us even survived was because you insisted on training us!"

I stopped short. "What?"

"Did you know that most of the trolls and onis only survived because they knew how to wield a weapon? In my life as a Vashta Nerada before here, I have seen many trolls who died because they did not understand the concept of wielding a weapon. Simply by existing, you gave most of us a chance to live instead of being hunted down by the Listed!"

"What does that have to do with me not being able to protect them?!"

"Because you can't help us forever! We don't want a babysitter!"

I froze.

"You gave us a world where we can finally do something besides scavenging like an animal," she hissed. "Don't you ever take it away from us by thinking that we're too weak. We will fight for ourselves, our clan, and our revenge. Don't you ever take our _revenge_ away from us!"

I stared at her for a long while before I nodded.

Candy scoffed. "And don't treat me like one of your kiddies, Ruto," she added. "I may only be a second evolution being, but I've lived closed to fifty years."

I froze, paused, gawked, snapped, and then just broke from the information overload.

* * *

**Day 122:**

I had talked with Shirou after talking with Candy, and learned a lot about video games in his world. He specifically talked about "hidden" mechanics, like the ones I found out about my [Wroth] and [Berserker]. It made sense.

Another thing I realized was that while Shirou retained the usage of his past weapons and skills, I had not. I only regained some of the basic skills because the skills in question were too common to not have -like [Running]! So I vowed to myself to regain at least one of the other, more complicated skills from my past life. [Aegis Shield] was a very good choice, even though I didn't know how to regain it.

I also realized there was a skill I had not realized or missed in passing.

"...80...81...82...83...84...85."

[Magic Resistance]. It just appeared one day.

"86...87...88...89...90...91..."

To that end, he gave me some ideas that I was working on now.

"...92...93...94...95...96..."

I also had dumped all of my spare points into STR yesterday night.

"97...98...99...100!"

With that, I tossed the boulder I was lifting -twice my size- down the mountain.

Ping!

**[Continuous use of your strength has increased STR by 2]**

Ping!

**LvL Up!**

**END +6**

Ping!

**[Your STR has reached exactly 600! You have gained a new trait!]**

**[Trait: Strength of a Greater Mountain (SGM)**  
**_There is only one universal truth for the living: the Strong flourishes!_**  
***Effect: If trait:[Strength of a Lesser Mountain] exists, this trait replaces it.**  
***Effect: Every point in STR increases STR by 0.5. This point appears on the side and is not calculated into any other calculations.**  
***Effect: -10% physical damage before any other defensive calculation**  
***Effect: +(0.001*CTL*STR) Additional Physical Damage(Melee only)**  
***New Stat aspect: Control**

"I guess Shirou was right," I muttered to myself as I stood up. "Now to endurance training then."

* * *

"Oww..." I muttered as Iskan threw the club back.

"You sure about this, boss?"

"Y-Yeah. Just give it a go."

_WHAM_

I bent forward as Iskan struck my back with the wooden club I had given him.

Ping! Ping!

**[Physical Durability LvLed Up!]**  
**[Your continued endurance exercise has increased END by +1!]**

I made a small smile through the pain I was feeling before it morphed into a grimace when Iskan struck my back again.

* * *

**Day 125:**

I was lifting boulders again, but by no means was I keeping quiet about Shkifield. I had sent out the imps and fairies to see where the rest of them were. I had a few oni willing to explore go into Listed cities to spread rumors about deplorable acts of Shkifield's armies.

At the same time, Shirou and I were training our remaining clan members roughly. It proved to be well done for the clan because many of our imps and fairies had been on the verge of evolution.

2 fairies evolved into Greater Fairies like Senna and another turned into a dryad. 8 imps evolved to be trolls, three evolved to be oni, and another three became kobolds.

I didn't push those unwilling to do combat into it nor did I accept those unfit. Instead, I gave them different jobs.

Dresa led what I called the "Production" branch of the clan. Calling themselves the Roots of the clan, Dresa and her miners mined the minerals away while Senna and her fairies grew food to store and sell.

I gave Shirou the job of recruiting other monsters around us. Of course, he and I had standards. We were only willing to recruit and accept individuals capable of being civil. There was a troll who wanted to join us because he wanted to rip the humans apart. When asked what he was going to do afterwards, he replied with a grin stating that he was going to continue on killing and looting and raping.

Senna and the fairies, even before I could say anything, disapproved immediately. I wholeheartedly agreed.

We might be seeking vengeance for what Shkifield's army did to us but we weren't going to do anything that would make us an enemy of the world. That was suicide.

We kicked him off our territory.

We accepted those seeking protection as well. Imps and fairies, in particular, joined us in droves in the past few days ever sine the word got out.

Shirou especially interacted well with those seeking protection. Perhaps that's what he did before he reincarnated here in this world?

* * *

**Day 128:**

"Chief, chief, chief!" an imp shrieked as it flew at top speed towards me.

I gently caught him in my hand. "What is it?" I asked.

"T-There's another human army heading our way!"

The clan immediately froze up before launching towards their station.

Even with the chaos around me, I kept my focus on the imp. "How many of them?"

"T-There were more than a dozen of those armored humans and more than four dozen of them riding horses," he reported quickly.

I nodded and let him go.

I growled as I unleashed my [Sonar].

My [Sonar] rushed through living and nonliving alike before it struck a wall of metal.

The number kept climbing and climbing until it was well into a few hundred.

And they flew the exact same flag as the one who attacked my fort just a week before.

"Shirou!" I shouted as I saw him run up the new tower we had created. "They're coming from southwest, 2 kilometers off at the base of the mountain! Four hundred twelve fighters!"

He saw him grimace as he projected his bow and twisted sword. He didn't waste time and let it loose.

_"Soar, Caladbolg!" _

The sword flew, leaving behind hypersonic shockwaves. Less than a second later, where I had seen the human soldiers on my [Sonar] map lit up as a red and pink explosion engulfed the area.

...

My eyes widened.

"They have a magic shield?!" I growled as I shot up.

Yes, my [Sonar] showed me well.

In the middle of their formation was twelve elf magician holding up a staff glowing brightly in white.

Shirou scowled as he traced Caladbolg again. It let it loose once more, but like its predecessor, it was blocked. This was not to say that the army didn't receive damage either.

Soldiers and scouts on the fringe of the army were burned off like paper in the presence of a bonfire.

But most of them were unharmed.

Shirou, even without my command, continued to trace his sword and fire.

I kept my [Sonar] up to see any changes in the army.

The army met the mountain and were definitely slowing down...

"Shirou, aim for the mountain, make a climb to force them to go around," I said as I projected my own Bomb Arrows to add to the damage.

Shirou looked at me with a scowl. "Alright," he said.

I used a quick [Observe] on him and my eyes widened.

His mana reserve was down by a quarter, and he fired only seven Caladbolgs.

'Did each trace of Caladbolg demand different amount of mana?' I thought frantically as I unleashed a hail of arrows glowing blue with packed mana.

* * *

**3rd POV**

_Shkifield's 5th Army_  
_Led by Field Marshall Alexandru Musat_

"Damn those monsters!" Alexandr Musat, the cousin of Erlen Shkifield, growled as they hailed A-rank explosions one after another without end. Had it not been for the mage mercenaries, who were now casting the magic barriers preventing the explosions from ripping them apart, he and his entire army would be dead! "How are they doing this?! Aren't they supposed to be weak compared to our own mages?!"

The elvish mercenary captain narrowed her eyes. "It is very rare for a monster mage to be stronger than institute or academy trained mages," she commented. "And I see two distinct mages up there firing down upon us."

A week ago, the remnants of Shkifield's 3rd Army had run into the 5th Army and told tales of two monsters and their clan of monsters up on the Twin Peaks. They told a story about how a three hundred men army with more than fifteen knights and five paladins were decimated to a meager fifty man-at-arms, five pikemen, and one light cavalry. They also reported seeing the flag of the Merchant House of Retvoa.

That had Musat's blood boiling.

Retvoa was on the house supporting the old ruler of the Carpathi southern valleys and fertile hills. Musat hadn't realized that their reach was that strong even with monsters.

So he had hired a mage mercenary group, the Grinning Red Firebolt, to act as support.

He was fucking glad he did. Had he not, then he and his army would have been wiped out in the first attack of the monsters.

"You better pay us a good slice of the loot, 'arshall," the mercenary captain added. "There was nothing about Siege-rank magicians being our enemies in the contract."

Musat just huffed. "I don't care anything about monsters and their nest. I only want to see them burn."

"Then we have an accord."

A scout ran up to the Field Marshall. "The monsters are carving out the mountains with their attacks, milord! They intend to stop us from even reaching them!"

Musat grumbled. "Nothing is ever easy, is it? I'm just here to help my cousin but no ... I run into Siege-rank monster mages!"

* * *

**1st POV**

Shirou growled as his mana reserve dipped below the half mark.

"Shirou, stop firing those swords!" I spat out as I projected whole quiver-load of my Bomb Arrows. "Use mine!" My mana was even further down than his, but I was not completely reliant on projected or traced weapons.

He took my Bomb Arrows and let them loose without mercy at a firing rate akin to that of a semi-automatic rifle rather than a longbowman.

The Shkifield army had reached the artificial cliffs, ones that Shirou and I made using our bombs, and used those to hide some of the troops from us.

By now, Ran and Sou were beside us, firing their mundane arrows. Surprisingly, those seem to penetrate the shield with ease.

"Magic," I grumbled. "That shield only protects them from magical attacks," I said as I switched to the mound of regular arrows that Shirou made for Ran and Sou. I fired three of them at once and felt an extreme sense of satisfaction when two soldiers died. "How about a projected normal arrow?" I muttered as I projected a mundane arrow and let it loose.

It flew and struck the shield and passed through it with slightly more difficulty as if the barrier was a very thin layer of water.

"But it works," I cackled in delight. Instead of shooting more, I ran out of the fort towards my training area.

"What the hell are you doing, Ruto?! They're gaining up on us!" Shirou shouted to me.

I ran back and I saw Shirou's face go from rage to confusion to realization and finally to a feral grin.

I stood at the edge of the Twin Peak's plateau facing the Shkifield army. This side of the mountain was not where we got our ironwood from for construction, but it was still sparse enough. Our constant bombarding also cleared away a lot of the forest.

"Timber!" I shouted, lighting the log under my feet on fire before rolling it down. Then for insurance, I projected my bow and rapid-fired at the army to prevent them from moving away from the log lest they be hit by my arrows.

Shirou saw what I was doing and fired a single Bomb Arrow, the last one, at a tree in the downward rolling, burning log's trajectory. The arrow struck, exploded, and sent another log spinning down at the humans and elves.

I ran back to my training area and hefted my lifting boulder to my shoulder and slowly walked over.

Then...

I threw it.

I watched as the boulder sailed across the air before plummeting down at the army like a fireless meteor.

I shivered in glee when the boulder crushed the near the center of the human's army ... and the barrier went down.

My grin nearly split my face.

"Shirou, now!"

"You don't have to tell me!" Shirou shouted back as he made just one more Caladbolg and shot it.

Another red and pink city-wiper went off at the dead heart of the army.

"Iskan, Arlas! With me! We're going to bring whatever is left with us!"

Iskan and Arlas, who had been behind the gates, came out along with seven more trolls and onis.

* * *

**3rd POV**

_Shkifield's 5th Army_  
_Mercenary Captain of Grinning Red Bolt_

Sabrina coughed her lungs out as she crawled out from under a burning corpse of a horse.

She didn't understand what happened.

One moment the army was ready to charge up the hill with few of her mages to act as shield casters. Burning logs rolled down, obliterating 1st line of soldiers and few of her mages.

Then a freaking boulder was chucked at them and nearly crushed her.

But it did crush two of her mages, two of whom were critical to holding up the barrier.

The barrier came down.

And then hell.

She had less than a second to divert all of her magic, _literally_ _everything_, to a personal shield focus before the entire landscape upon which the Shkifield's 5th Army had been standing turned into Hell on Earth.

Even with all of the magic she poured into her shield, she had not escaped unscathed.

Her legs were crushed from the burning corpse of the horse landed on her.

She cursed her luck as she tried to crawl away.

She saw on the edge of her vision several of her mages , but not all, attempt to flee as well.

Well, except Jenkins. He let out a battlecry and charged forward, only to have his entire head burst apart ... from a fist strike from a huge, _ridiculously huge _troll.

She doubled her efforts into her arms, even going far as to reinforce it with Strength Boost.

But it wasn't enough.

Her mages were taken down on spot.

This was it. The end of her mercenary band.

Again, she cursed her luck as the biggest of the monsters approached her with its blood stained fists.

She flipped onto her back and fired a Frostshot.

He sidestepped it with ease that she had only seen in Master swordsman.

'So not only am I fighting a Siege-rank mage but a Master swordsman of a monster?' she thought humorlessly as she fired one more Frostshot. He dodged it again.

Then he was upon her.

A great looming being.

"Ha ... ha ha..." she chuckled. "I don't... want to die."

The being's hand opened and reached out to her face.

She crawled and pushed, but it didn't stop coming closer. "No, no, no! Stay back, stay back!" she screamed.

To no avail.

Its hand covered her face.

And she knew no more.

* * *

**(Chapter End)**

**(Omake and extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 128:**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]  
LvL 66  
The Gamer**

**Race: Mountain Troll**

**HP: 168.5(+310) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 710 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 620 (+310(SGM))  
CTL: 100  
DEX: 105  
AGI: 133  
END: 167  
INT: 122  
WIS: 119  
CHA: 83  
Unused Points: 5**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Fame: ? +20**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of a Great Mountain (SGM)**

**Focus:  
X**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

**Skills:  
Archery (LvL 14)  
Ambush (LvL 11)  
Baiting (LvL 28)  
Berserker (LvL 1)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 18)  
Charging (LvL 14)  
Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
Crafting (LvL 8) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 2)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Intimidation (LvL 10)  
Leadership (LvL 10)  
Listening (LvL 16)  
Magic Resistance (LvL 1)  
Mapping (LvL 4)  
Negotiation (LvL 5)  
Observe (LvL 45) + Structural Analysis  
Physical Durability (LvL 13)  
Projection (LvL 27)  
Reinforcement (LvL 3)  
Running (LvL 34)  
Sonar (LvL 29)  
Teaching (LvL 5)  
Throwing (LvL 20)  
Trapping (LvL 26)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 9)**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**# (reference) (important figures)**

**25 Trolls (WoW) (Ruto, Iskan)  
12 Onis (Shirou)  
2 Faze (Candy)  
7 Vashta Nerada  
3 Greater Fairy (Senna)  
7 Kobold (D&amp;D) (Dresa)  
1 Mountain Dryad  
19 imps (WoW + D&amp;D)  
24 fairies**

**Imprisoned:  
6 humans (injured) + ?**

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -100  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan +1000  
Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +53  
Nomore Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Erlen Shkitfield's Host to Reclaim Southern Carpathi -1000**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Sholva z'Retvoa +70  
**

* * *

**Terms:**

**Carpathi: Region that Ironwood Clan lives in. Ironwood Clan is based in the eastern portion of it.**

**Listed: Ruto's nickname for the races of the civilized society. Elves, tauren, oni, human, dwarf, gnome, and etc. Trolls and bullywugs not included.**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Geezus, I try to create a in-story motivation for Ruto and I get mad fans. Eh. I realized around Chapter 17 that my Ruto was becoming too complacent. He was the strongest in the area. He had stopped growing as fast as he had before; that coupled with the rant from some of you regarding my Gamer's lack of growth and power. So I had Shirou be who Shirou was: a OP motherfucker capable of lunging non-radioactive WMD on w him. A motivation for Ruto to grow stronger.

*But a longer chapter than usual! Done in less than two days. Whoopie doo...

*So loved it, hated it, just meh? Leave a review here and let me sort them out. I promise no refund of your time.


	25. Chapter 25

**If you're looking for the new update, it's not. **

**Thank **kage88**, because he had a copy of my chapter 19, which was deleted by an accident. So if you want, go read that.**

* * *

**To my readers...  
It's probably good for you to read below.**

**I should get this out of my way...**

**So many of my your readers and fans have reviewed or personally messaged me regarding where and how the story was progressing.**

**shaespace, Forgottenkami, and the rest of you thank you for being honest with me here, whether you felt as if my story's direction suited your taste or not. **

**The stickler for many of you seemed to be Ruto not being stronger than Shirou and that he is lacking motivation. And that Ruto was making odd decisions with his points. So for your ease of mind, I wanted to explain why I took the direction that I did and reasons behind it.**

**The first thing I want to point out is the traits, Ruto possesses. They aren't there to act as fancy buffs or debuffs; they actually affect Ruto's personality. Particularly with Content and Ambitious. These are two opposing traits and some of you have argued that it should not be like this. After all, it makes no sense, right? Except ... it does. **

**For example, all of us are content with some aspect of our lives but not in others, and as a result, we vigorously seek to improve the aspect we do not find the "contentness" in. In my case, I am not happy with my own personality but I am completely happy with my hobbies. Anyone around me can tell you that. **

**The traits that you see for Ruto are his defining traits. It is what others see when they look at him. From the perspective of the clan, Ruto is ambitious and has worked hard, especially in regards to the bullywugs. **

**Yes, the bullywugs. Their collarbones. And over time... things became too easy. Ruto saw that he was ridiculously overpowered compared to every other creature in the Carpathi Swamp Valleys. **

**He became content. **

**He is ambitious and that had brought him up to where he is, but once he reached what he could perceive as the "top" of the world, he relaxed. It happens to all of us, and no one is exempt from this. **

**Ruto was not exempt from this.**

**He relaxed and grew complacent.**

**Until he saw Shirou's arsenal and the attack on his clan by the humans.**

* * *

**Regarding Ruto's STR focusing...**

**First of all, for you gamers out there, I want you to all imagine a RPG game or even an arena game. **

**Let's start with ... League of Legends. Sure, you heard about hybrid Jax. But then let me ask you a question:do you also give him **

**For the sake of argument, let's say there is a one-third tank, one-third ad, and one-third ap Miss Fortune. **

**Right now, all of you LoL players are shaking your head. "Nu-uh. That ain't gonna work."**

**Then let's talk about WoW and I'm going to pick on the druids. You cant be half Fel druid and half Guardian. Nah nah nah. No one is going to accept you into raid parties or even PvP because you're going to get everyone killed.**

**All rounder sounds awesome in theory but in reality makes little sense. Even if you do achieve all roundness, you need to achieve a "high" roundness. LvL 3 on all skill ain't gonna get you a job, bro. Maybe if you were LvL 20 (out of 100) on all your skills, someone might hire you as their handyman/secretary.**

**Look at even canon Naruto for example. Sure, the Third Hokage was known was the Professor due to his knowledge and all roundedness but how many more? Kakashi is a ninjutsu specialist, Gai is taijutusu specialist, and Kurenai is genjutsu specialist. None of them are all rounded. I will not accept arguement about Naruto being a rounded character.**

**Being an all-rounder gets you and your friends killed in combat. ****It is this mindset of mine that I applied to my story here.**

**Admittedly, Ruto has no limits. I don't intend to give him one soon. Maybe when he's LvL 1000 or something, yeah, but until then, I don't intend to do so. In this case, why can't he become super strong by LvLing like crazy?**

**Environmental constraints.**

**In Ruto's area, no monster, animal, or being is around or has surpassed his own LvL or combat prowess. In game terms, that's very little EXP. LvLing becomes hard after a while. And I refuse to just give him free LvLs.**

**You know what happens when a LvL 60 wipes out ten thousand LvL 5's? Nothing. Not a single LvL. Not even half a level. That's the situation that Ruto is in. **

* * *

**As for techniques.**

**Personally, I am not a fan of Kage Bunshin. It gives me as the author too much excuses to make Mary Sues and Gary Sues happen. It also reduces what could be more interactions with other characters. **

**If you had kage bunshin, would you go out to work? To meetings? **

**Probably not. Most of us would lounge around in the gym or our home playing. It's the Ultimate Lazy Creator. **

**Please, also remember that Ruto is no longer a jinchuuriki. Without it, he no longer possesses the world-shattering amount of chakra or mana. **

**He now possesses at best moderately above average amount of reserves. He cannot spam either Rasengan or Kage Bunshin. **

**I did intend to give him those techniques back, but much later. You know when he has enough mana to start spamming? Which is what they are good for?**

* * *

**Anyway,that's why I wrote my story as it is. Yes, there are some errors here and there and I could do a little bit more polishing up. But I won't write a story that just skips character development. **

**Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

**/(O-M-O)/**

* * *

**Day 129:  
**

I yawned as I tossed the bed sheet aside and stood up.

Yesterday had been a one-sided massacre that the clan celebrated heartily and gleefully.

I walked out into the courtyard of our wooden fort, walked over to the kitchens, grabbed a chunk of cold meat, and sat by the benches on the side of the courtyard.

"Oh, boss, you're up already?"

I turned to my left and saw Dresa approaching me. I gave her a nod. "Just woke up."

"You realize the sun is barely out?"

I looked up to the sky and saw that, indeed, the dawn light barely filtered into our fort. I shrugged as I turned my attention back to the cold meat.

Dresa walked over to the bonfire pit, tossed in some logs, twigs, and kindling before lighting it on fire with ...

"Dresa, did you just breathe fire?"

* * *

So apparently lizard kobolds can breathe fire. Who knew?

"How are our prisoners doing?" I asked Ran, who had volunteered for the guard duty.

"Nothing much. They eat the food we gave them, at least ones who are wake, but nothing else.

After the first battle with the humans and we got prisoners, I realized that we didn't have a prison cell in our fort. So I expanded the fort -again. This time, the fort looked like a four point star with the courtyard at the center. Shirou pitched in some ideas as well, and the clan agreed to work on replacing the wooden walls with cobblestone walls instead.

Anyway.

On the other side of the fort from my personal quarters was the prison cells.

There were a total of ten rooms made with the purpose of them being cells and all of them were occupied.

6 of them were normal human foot soldiers from the first battle.

4 of them were elvish magicians from the massacre yesterday. Shriou realized that these elves could easily turn their magic against us and made runes all over the room to prevent the elves -or any magicians inside them- from using mana. How? By sucking their mana out, of course!

I personally thought that the runes reminded me too much about vampires from those stories.

While some of my clan members wanted to kill the humans and elves, I believed that to be a bad idea, especially not when I planned on establishing further cordial relationship with humans in general... just not with Shkifield. I was going to impale him on a stick and parade him around!

And speaking of elves...

"Hnn."

I wondered if Sasuke reincarnated like me and sat in the cell in front of me. And was a girl.

This elvish girl didn't respond to me at all except with those Uchiha grunts.

"So do you want to talk now?"

Shirou did say that he was capable of forcing these elves and humans to talk, but I didn't think that it was such a great idea.

She didn't respond. I shrugged and walked away, but not before mentioning to the fairies to feed the prisoners.

* * *

I set up a meeting between the "small chiefs" of the clan and myself.

Candy.

Senna.

Ran.

Dresa.

Shirou.

And myself.

Normally, I would have made a decision by myself, but I felt that it was necessary to form this council so that I know who stands where.

"You guys all know what I called you for," I told them as I sat down on my bed.

We were all in my personal quarters, which I did expand just slightly more in case it needed to be used a meeting room like right now.

It was Candy who spoke up first. "I feel that more of us need to be trained -and faster. Our second battle only went as well as it did because you and Shirou are our powerhouses. Outside of you two, we're weak."

Wow. Blunt, much?

Iskan, the new leader of the trolls and imps, nodded along with Candy. "I agree with Candy. If Shirou was not here in the first attack, this fort and the clan would have been wiped out without mercy."

I scowled as his mention of the first attack. It brought up memories about me having to watch my comrades die.

"I'm sure Shirou could train all of you."

Shirou put up his arms. "No way. There is no way I can train them all."

I raised an eyebrow. "You've been teaching everyone how to read and write, how to grow crops well, how to show proper etiquette... What's combat added to that?"

Shirou scowled at me. "I need to train too, you know. It's not just you who's training."

I shrugged. "You're still better fit to train them. I will be training them too, you know. Just not as much as you."

Shirou paused for a moment before nodding.

"Ano..."

Everyone turned to Senna.

It must be noted that everyone loved the fairies and the greater fairies. They were always looking to help and always cheerful. It was hard to not like them when they gave you snacks between training and smiled.

"Before I came here, I was talking with a group of potential clan members. I realized when I came in here that we are no longer a small clan."

Candy nodded. "There have been many wild Vashta Nerada who are seeking to join us as well."

"How many is many?" Shirou asked the two women.

"Sixty or so," Senna smiled.

"Twelve," Candy replied.

I blinked.

Seventy-two? That was almost three-quarter of our existing number.

"And you know my requirement, right? I don't want any mindless killers or anarchists in our clan."

They nodded. They also didn't want that kind of people.

The meeting continued on for a while and we discussed other mundane subjects like potential tribes to ally with or absorb.

By the end of the day, we accepted exactly seventy five more into our clan.

* * *

**Day 131:**

To my surprise, I found the Sholva z'Retvoa, our contact merchant, and a whole buttload of caravan guards making their way up the mountain.

Sholva looked very nervous.

I raised an eyebrow as I greeted them. "You weren't supposed to come for another week or so," I commented as I shook Sholva's hand.

He laughed nervously. "W-Well, I heard that you were attacked by the Shkifield's army, so I rushed here as fast as possible with what troops I can afford."

I beamed at his willingness to help us so readily.

Or maybe because we were his only trade partners keeping his afloat that he came to our aid.

Nonetheless, he came with ... seventy well armed and armored cavalry. That was a substantial amount of troops.

"Your assistance is much appreciated, Sholva," I said sincerely before I led them around the fort to the site of the second battle. "But we kind of wiped them out already."

He and his men gawked at the sight before them.

Or rather, below them.

They saw a gaping wound on the side of the mountain that had been charred beyond recognition.

"But we do need help with prisoners that we were able to capture," I added. "While you were not able to help our battles, perhaps you can help us with sorting them out?"

* * *

I learned from Sholva how system of prisoner negotiation worked in the region.

Specifically, how mercenaries and nobilities could be traded.

"What about the common foot soldiers?" I asked him.

Sholva, Shirou, Senna, and I were in a table by ourselves. A table of "chiefs," the rest of the clan and Retvoan cavalry called it.

Even though Sholva and his escorts were not able to help us, we still threw a party for them for the mere gesture. It was significant to have humans helping monsters. 'I think most of the clan appreciated that.' It also reminded us that not all humans wanted to harm us and were willing to fight with us.

"Well, normally any nobles who get their hands on the common foot soldiers can exchange an oath of common fealty for life and protection."

I frowned. "You make prisoners into your servants?"

Sholva nodded. "Basically slaves."

Shirou looked thunderous. "What?"

Sholva put his hands up as a gesture of peace. "Wow, come down there. It's not like the barbaric slavery up in the north. We have laws and rules about it. Part of the oath is exactly that. The servants are servants only until they pay off the debt they procure by taking on the oath. This debt is usually the mean price of a slave of their specification," he quickly explained. "And servants are allowed to clear off any debt if their master or master's family abuses them."

"I find that it's not perfect as it sounds."

Sholva looked a bit downtrodden. "I suppose. Unless one makes a magical oath of fealty, it's hard to regulate the attitudes of the masters towards their servants."

Shirou grunted.

I knew what he was thinking. He was probably thinking about disguising himself and putting an arrow through each and every abusive master. He told me about his past life and if Shirou followed the pattern, that was what was likely going to happen.

"Does your family have servants?" I asked him as I cut a piece of venison.

He nodded. "We're a merchant family. A big portion of our business deals with moving goods from one city to another. We need a lot of muscles for that because magicians with Levitation is expensive to hire. We buy or rent oaths of common fealty. Don't worry though, our own family has even stricter policy about treating the servants."

Shirou calmed down after hearing that.

'He'd demand that we cut relations if it weren't so,' I thought to myself.

* * *

**Day 132:**

Our clan exchanged farewells with the well fed Retvoans and watched them leave the mountain, passing by the scorched land at the bottom of the mountain on their way.

With them gone, I turned my attention back to my clan.

With the addition of over seventy newcomers, there was a lot of organizing to be done.

And what was better at organizing hierarchy than a clan tournament?

* * *

"Gather round, gather round!" I said loudly as the entire clan stood outside the fort, away from both the fort and the crops that riddled around it. We stood at the center of the plateau, which had soft dirt.

When they had their attention on me, I grinned. "Now, I'm not a good speaker as Shirou here, so pardon me for not exactly being good, aye?" There were a few chuckles before I continued. "Now as you know, we have seventy newcomers that joined our clan!" There was a cheer. "And I thought, gee, I have to organize all of you know before anything awful happens. I'm talking about you, Arlas." There were now outright laughs.

"So I thought ... how about a tournament between all of us. We get to see who's stronger than who, or in the case of our fairies, who's better at controlling nature."

They agreed.

* * *

**Day 133:**

Due to the sheer size of our clan, it took us an entire day to get the tournaments done with.

And the results was like this in the general division:

1\. Me  
2\. Shirou  
3\. Iskan  
4\. Arlas  
5\. Dresa  
And so on...

Everyone was surprised by Dresa, actually. She threw her competitors out of the circle or just knocked them out with an uppercut to the jaw.

'Well, she was swinging that pickaxe of hers everyday, not to mention hauling rocks back and forth from the mines...' I thought.

In the fairy division:

1\. Senna  
2\. Ruru  
3\. Ryunwort  
And so on...

The "small chiefs" stayed the same, but now everyone knew where they were approximately in the scale.

The first thing I did after the tournament was to start training the combatants. Specifically, most of the trolls, oni, and kobolds who haven't allocated themselves something useful. Dresa had three trolls, an oni, and three kobolds with her in the mines. Senna took another four trolls to help her tend to the crops. Shirou took five to help him with the new forge and workshop he was working in, leaving me with forty-nine able-bodied fighters.

For a clan of a hundred seventy, roughly fifty fighters was not a bad number.

The most interesting event of the day, though, was not the tournament.

"Eh?" I muttered.

"W-We'd like your blessing to get m-married," Troll Xeunsu asked as he held onto Greater Fairy Ruru's hands.

"I give you my blessing," I replied with a smile, even though I was confused as hell.

The couple smiled. "Thank you!" And they left.

I stared at the spot they had stood on with a blank mind.

Wut?

* * *

Apparently, Shirou hadn't been just teaching them useful knowledge and skills. He was basically shaping up an entire culture, of which marriage was a big part of.

I asked him why he would shape a culture.

His response?

"Because I am helping you save these people from others. Because I want to see a righteous people rise up instead of bandits and thugs in the disguise of civilization."

* * *

**Day 134:**

Thinking about it, I decided that for a clan of hundred fifty or so, keeping our living space to only a fort, albeit constantly expanded, didn't seem like a good idea.

So after discussing new expansion with the small chiefs and with the help of most of the clan, I started to build a true city while also putting up a cobblestone wall for the fort at the same time.

* * *

**Day 137:**

We ran of pre-harvest logs and cobblestones to build with. We shifted our focus from construction to mining and harvesting.

* * *

**Day 140: **

We gathered the estimated materials needed and began to work on the city again.

* * *

**Day 143:**

The fort wall was complete! The city was at less than half completion.

* * *

**Day 149:**

And it was done.

We had a true city to call our own.

Well, not really. With a fort in the center of the city, forty homes, and four workshops, it was closer to a town than a city.

The Ironwood Fort stood at the center of the town, standing above the rest of the houses we built by a full two meters or so. Built out of cobblestone and mortar that Shirou made, it was a rocky and ugly thing. But it is meant to keep people safe, not look pretty. It did, however, have some of the ironwoods sticking out at the top of the "turrets," or round cylindrical structure we decided to add with Shirou's recommendation. It provided cover for archers who were to be stationed there.

The houses, on the other hand, looked amazing. Taking in the fairy philosophy of working and living with nature, each house was built with intertwining trees, stones, and some processed wooden walls. Shaped like a flay cylinder, each house contained three bedrooms and a living room with kitchen attached.

Fairies would make sure to not have the trees intertwining with the houses grow out of control as fire hazard was another issue that Shirou brought up.

We were also going to add a second wall around the city, but decided to wait until we grew even bigger. It wouldn't do if some of our people were stuck outside when we were attacked, not would it? We also didn't have the materials for another wall, and would not have them stored for some time.

The workshops were also a big point.

I insisted on having multiple workshops so that our production would increase without having to rely on a single workshop for everything.

The first workshop was ... a bakery. Yup. It was less of a workshop and more a public kitchen where we were going to have several volunteer work at.

The second workshop was a blacksmithy. That place was going to be headed by Shirou.

The third workshop was a garden. Senna insisted on having a garden inside the city. So we cleared a large enough space and called it a workshop for her.

The last workshop was a training ground. Larger than the previous three put together, it was where Shirou and I were going to train our clan in combat.

Well, mostly Shirou. I was going to make sure everyone's stamina was up to my par.

Using [Observe], of course.

My own training was different from theirs. Unlike the most of my clan who needed to round themselves out before focusing on a skill of their choice, I needed to broaden out. Specifically, I needed to broaden out my physical attacks.

As of right now, I had three methods of attacking.

Use ranged weaponry.

Punch or kick.

Use a weapon like a sword or club.

I didn't choose to make or relearn magic or chakra related attacks because of how I was shaping up to be. The traits [Strength is Key] and [Power Overwhelming] were such shapers. Those traits encouraged me to become physically stronger and tankier. Once I reached a certain point, it gave me even better traits for continuing down the path.

I could have done something like Hokage-jiji had done, which was rounding myself out in every fashion. But there was a problem with that.

While I could train to gain the base stats and make new magic/chakra skills, I was constrained from many sides. First of all, my LvLing, the main source of base stat improvement, was becoming harder and harder because my LvL and the LvL of things I kill were growing bigger. Only reason I LvL up these days is when I perform a big massacre. And because I need to keep the bullywugs alive to act as deterrent, I can't exactly perform anymore big massacres.

With my plans of also chasing after and taking down the Shkifield, my timing was also strained.

No. With these constraints on myself, I needed to focus something that will give me an edge over the others. The most effect way to do it was through growing my STR, and indirectly, HP.

The second battle against Shkifield's army had proven to be a good confirmation about whether or not my choice in improving my STR was right. Magic failed to help my clan there because the other side had neutralized it. Shirou's Caladbolg bombardment, which normally would wipe out half an army or a city, was rendered useless because the Listed army kept most of its forces underneath a magic barrier.

So I had used brute force.

_I threw boulders at them._

I say I'm on the right path.

So what was my training?

Now that I had reached a very good number of points for my STR, which was totaling over 900, I needed to find ways to make better use of it.

I needed to be able to throw bigger boulders with a single hand, stop charging knights with a swing of my fist, shake the world with a punch to the ground, and devastate armies whenever I swing my fist.

I needed to be an army killer.

And while I had tossed most of the training of the clan to Shirou, I intended to make sure that by making my comrades as tough as possible with enough END to outmatch a horse's stamina so that when Shirou gets them, he'll have no problem turning each and every single clan member into a warrior that no one can match.

Well, that and I don't think I'm good enough with teaching, not when I had my own skill deficiencies.

* * *

**(Chapter End)**

**(Omake and extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 149:**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]  
LvL 67  
The Gamer**

**Race: Mountain Troll**

**HP: 168.5(+312.5) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 710 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 625 (+312.5(SGM))  
DEX: 105  
AGI: 133  
END: 172  
INT: 122  
WIS: 119  
CHA: 84  
Unused Points: 11**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 100**

**Fame: ? +20**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of a Great Mountain (SGM)**

**Focus:  
X**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

**Unique Skills:  
****Berserker (LvL 1)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 1)****  
****Observe (LvL 45) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 28)  
Reinforcement (LvL 3)  
****Sonar (LvL 29)****  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Archery (LvL 14)  
Ambush (LvL 11)  
Baiting (LvL 28)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 18)  
Charging (LvL 14)  
Crafting (LvL 12) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 8)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Intimidation (LvL 10)  
Leadership (LvL 10)  
Listening (LvL 16)  
Mapping (LvL 4)  
Negotiation (LvL 5)  
Physical Durability (LvL 13)  
Running (LvL 34)  
Teaching (LvL 5)  
Throwing (LvL 20)  
Trapping (LvL 26)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 9)**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**30 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
20 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
2 Faze (Candy)**(xx)**  
19 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
3 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
15 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
4 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
27 imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
3 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
52 fairies**(x)

**Imprisoned:  
6 humans (injured) + ?**

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -100  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan +1000  
Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +53  
Nomore Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Erlen Shkitfield's Host to Reclaim Southern Carpathi -1000**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Sholva z'Retvoa +70  
**

* * *

**Terms:**

**Control**: This is a stat aspect Ruto earned with [Strength of a Greater Mountain]. The number of points invested into Control directly correlates to how effectively Ruto can use whatever is at his disposable. 100 is the standard, like a hundred percent. This means that if STR was to be applied at a certain point, it would have 100% efficiency. If it were to be applied to an area, then efficiency would drop, depending on how large the area is. At the same time, narrowing the area of impact also decreases efficiency.

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Regarding Imp evolution. Some of you have read the Omakes and the snippets I have posted about the world around Ruto. Specifically, the one about Imp evolution. I never said the previously mentioned evolutions weren't going to happen.

Put this into my perspective. What place does a succubi/incubu have on a battlefield that Ruto's home seems to be? I could see them being useful on the long run, and may have a few in the clan in the next five chapters.

I don't write smuts, so don't expect it, if that's what you want those for!


	26. Chapter 26

**Day 153:**

"Sholva sent us a messenger bird?" I repeated after Shirou.

It had been half a week since the completion of our new city, the City of Ironwood. It was a humble city compared to Konoha that I knew, but it was a city that I built with my own hands with a nature-friendly look I bet no one else can have. Well, maybe except the elves, but still. My personal quarter was still within the fort, but now we added a separate meeting room.

That's where I was currently at. I was looking over the map thinking about where I should send the scouts next or to fortify our position when Shirou walked in.

He merely nodded. "He said it's for the eyes of the Chief of Ironwood Clan, so I brought it to you."

I blinked and took the parchment envelope. I gently dislodged the wax seal, pulled out the letter within, and read.

And immediately, my face paled.

"Shit!" I hissed. "Shirou, grab the small chiefs. It's an emergency!"

Shirou didn't ask me any question. He nodded and quickly went to gather them.

* * *

"Why did you call us, Chief?" Candy asked as she sat. She was the last one to join the small chief council, as it was being called.

I waved the letter that made me panic. "Sholva, our human merchant friend, sent me an urgent letter of news," I stated. "Our defense against the human Shkifield's army got us the attention of the human rulers."

Shirou perked up. "Kings?"

I nodded. "Apparently, a small contingent of royal diplomats are being sent here. But what Sholva is worried about is not that."

I pulled out the second portion of the letter.

Well, it was less of a letter and more of a poster.

"Apparently, this Shkifield is not your usual fellow. While he had an army engaging this kingdom's army, he had been convincing a southern kingdom to come to his aid. Well, it worked, and now the Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi-where we live- is at war with the Gabulria, which is thrice the size of Carpathi. The Listed of the region is officially at war and we are at the border of it."

The mood of the room dropped as the small chiefs realized what was happening. The small chiefs all seemed to agree with me.

"In his letter, Sholva asked us to come and meet the Duke of Transyl-Carpathi, the one who is supposed to be the Listed ruler of the region."

The small chiefs, sans Shirou, all looked shocked.

It was Iskan who spoke up. "Humans want to meet _us_?"

"They most likely want to bring our clan to their side," Shirou commented. "It also helps the Duke because we were already attacked by the Shkifield and have a reason to seek vengeance."

I nodded. "I want to meet this duke as well. I intend to ask Sholva more about this man as well as gather more information from the monsters outside of our own territory," I said. "Iskan."

"Yes, chief?"

"I need you to take over the stamina training."

Iskan looked shocked.

"Y-You sure, Chief?"

I scoffed. "Would I ask you if I didn't think you could do it? Or do you not want to do it?"

Iskan shook his head left and right just once. "No, no. I'd be glad to!" he grinned.

"You know what I always have them do, right?"

"'You better run 15 seconds more everyday at top speed. Or expect me to chase you down.'"

I nodded. "You know me well."

He just grinned right back.

Then a brilliant idea struck me.

"Actually, I'm going to need most of the troll and kobold hands." I turned to Shirou. "Shirou. I'm also going to need your help."

Shirou blinked. "Okay. What with?"

I grinned. "A weapon for myself."

* * *

"No."

"Come on! It's perfect!"

Shirou just gave me a deadpan stare. "Look, I certainly want to help you, but what you're asking is impossible!"

"We have magic! That's what it's for!"

"Even with magic, making a weapon like that will take weeks, if not months!"

I pouted. "So? It'll be a magnificent weapon!" I let out a roar of glee.

"It'll be a stupid weapon! You'll be instantly recognized."

"Dude. I'm an armored troll with enough strength to cause tremor. How much worse can my identification get worse?"

Shirou threw his hands up as he turned around to leave. "Still no," he growled. "I don't intend to make a nearly unfeasible weapon to boost your ego, Ruto."

I crossed my arms. "Fine then," I muttered. "I'll make my own!"

Shirou snapped right back at me. "What?!"

Ping!

**[Quest: Weapon for the Mountain King!**

**Requirement:**  
***Find or Create a weapon with over 500 STR requirement.**

**Reward:**

***?]**

I stared at the quest alert before bursting out into laughter. I invited Shirou, still laughing, and showed him it.

He just stared at it as if it offended him and left.

* * *

**Day 155:**

Remember when I said I was going to need most able-bodied hands?

Well, today, I'm starting the construction for a wall. A wall that will encompass most of the plateau.

Dresa and her miners were working vigorously while the trolls lifted the cobblestones to the designated areas. I was also part of the hauling team, but with my strength, I was lifting five times what my clan's average trolls were lifting. The onis were setting mortar and cobblestone together.

The wall was to be four meters wide and ten meters high. There was also to be cylindrical wall towers every fifty meters or so. Shirou roughly calculated that the total volume of thirty-thousand cubic meters* of cobblestone. The volume of stone that needed to be carried from the mines below to the walls was staggering, but I had strength and endurance for a reason.

It was going to take us weeks, but from what Sholva told me, it would be at least a month and a half before their war reached our territory. If I took a lot of time focusing on building the wall, and I mean most of the time, I was sure that our wall could be finished at least a week before the Shkifield's next army arrived. My precious weapon would have to wait. *Sob Sob*

I placed the small boulder where our "engineers" directed me to, and I held the cobblestone in place as the other trolls place smaller rocks and the engineers mortared the space in between. Once it was dry, I turned to get more cobblestone.

I stopped, though, because Senna was blocking my way.

"Yes...?"

While I was happy with how the clan had turned out so far, I was a bit unhappy with some parts of it.

One such part of the clan was the factionalism. I learned from Shirou that it happens to all people, no matter what culture or power. It was part of nature for the "social animals."

The trolls and oni who had once stayed out of factionalism joined in. Shirou quickly took over the onis to prevent anyone else getting to it, but the trolls and imps couldn't follow me. Why? Because it would cause doubts of favoritism to start. So to prevent it in the first place I allowed Iskan to take over the trolls and imps.

Dresa also rose up as another faction leader after the number of kobolds drastically increased. Along with their importance as miners, they were now their own faction.

Senna here had the responsibility of organizing food production and recruitment, and didn't bother me with details.

So when she _did _come up to me, she usually had something important to say.

"Some of my children came across several tribe. All of them are seeking to speak with you."

I blinked.

"Exactly how many of them want to meet me?"

Senna seemed to be counting mentally for a second before she smiled. "Five tribes, a rough total of three hundred tribesman."

I stared. "There was that many tribes in our territory?"

"Two tribe comes from outside our territory," she replied. "They and the other three tribe seek our protection. Their tribal chiefs have told me that they have heard about the protection our clan extended to the Nomore Tribe."

"Are we considered strong? I know that bullywugs are kind of an issue but..."

Senna frowned. "It seems you still do not understand the power you possess, Chief."

I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sure Candy tried to tell you," she said offhandedly. "Chief Ruto, you must realize what life was like before you came.

"Before you came, it didn't matter if you were fairykin or impkin; we were all food to the bullywugs. If you were lucky, you were captured and sold off as a slave. The few tribes that did exist kept quiet as possible and allowed very little outsiders to join in fear of growing too big to be noticed by the bullywugs. The fairykin, in particular, was vulnerable because our evolution were not capable of true offense magic until the third evolution. We were rejected by all tribes because of our 'uselessness.'

"Why do you think that we were trembling when we came up to you to ask for protection? You were strong, strong enough to chase us down and devour us. You were an unknown. We were scared of you."

I scratched the back of his head. He didn't realize that he was that scary back then. Hell, he hadn't even activated his [Intimidation] when the first fairies asked to join. "Was I scary?"

Senna looked affronted. "Scary? You were the scariest thing in the valley!" she exclaimed before quickly composing herself again. "Sorry, chief."

I waved her apology away. "No need. I'm not offended."

She paused for a second before she continued her explanation. "It was hard for us all. Then you came around. You demolished the bullywugs without mercy. You burned them down to the ground and now everyone in your territory live without fear of being devoured by those frogs. You built us a fort to keep us safe in the night. You organized us to keep us safe. You got everyone to help each other when most of us would have killed each other for the fear of our lives.

"You have _no _idea what you are to your clan."

When she finished, I was left a little ... stunned. Did I really do that much? I mean most of what I did was for myself, not others. But my actions did leave these impacts.

I just smiled. "Cool."

What the hell was I supposed to say?

* * *

**(Chapter End)**

**(Omake and extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

***30,000 cubic meters = 39,000 cubic yard roughly**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 149:**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]  
LvL 67  
The Gamer**

**Race: Mountain Troll**

**HP: 168.5(+312.5) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 710 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 625 (+312.5(SGM))  
DEX: 105  
AGI: 133  
END: 172  
INT: 122  
WIS: 119  
CHA: 84  
Unused Points: 11**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 100**

**Fame: ? +20**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of a Great Mountain (SGM)**

**Focus:  
X**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

**Unique Skills:  
****Berserker (LvL 1)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 1)****  
****Observe (LvL 45) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 28)  
Reinforcement (LvL 3)  
****Sonar (LvL 29)****  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Archery (LvL 14)  
Ambush (LvL 11)  
Baiting (LvL 28)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 18)  
Charging (LvL 14)  
Crafting (LvL 14) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 10)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Intimidation (LvL 10)  
Leadership (LvL 10)  
Listening (LvL 16)  
Mapping (LvL 4)  
Negotiation (LvL 5)  
Physical Durability (LvL 13)  
Running (LvL 34)  
Teaching (LvL 5)  
Throwing (LvL 20)  
Trapping (LvL 26)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 9)**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**30 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
20 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
2 Faze (Candy)**(xx)**  
19 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
3 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
15 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
4 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
27 imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
3 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
52 fairies**(x)

**Imprisoned:  
6 humans (injured) + ?**

* * *

**Importan Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy**  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -100  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan +1000  
Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +53  
Nomore Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Erlen Shkitfield's Host to Reclaim Southern Carpathi -1000**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Sholva z'Retvoa +70  
**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Well, for those of you who NEGLECTED to read the AN at the start of last chapter, I stated that chapter 19, the lost chapter, was re-uploaded thanks to **kage88**. He had my story downloaded, ;D Thanks again, man.

*I read a lot of my reviewers that Naruto always know of Tsunade... which is false. This is a second generation AU story, and in my first AU story, the Gamer of Konoha, Naruto _dies _before the chunin exam due to an invasion he had been sent to stop, which is where this story becomes its own story. So no, Naruto (now Ruto) knows nothing about Tsunade.

*I actually think that among Gamer stories, I am the only one who focuses on specializing Strength rather than speed, magic, or crafting.

*Also how does Ruto know what democracy is? Simple, Shirou. For the readers who remember, Ruto put Ruto in charge of education of the clan. That included himself when he wasn't running around. While Ruto might not implement everything he learns, he still knows a lot.

*A lot of you have been asking for the goddamn harem again. Again, I say that it'll be a while before anything close to marital status for Ruto is brought up.


	27. Chapter 27

**Day 155(continued):**

After Senna had talked to me, I went back to delivering the last boulder that I was carrying. After that, I intended to meet these tribes.

For me, it was an enlightening experience. It helped me learn more about what I meant to my own clan. And suffice to say ... it felt good.

In my previous life as Naruto, I was disliked for many reasons by a lot of people.

Here?

I was ... I was like the the Shodaime Hokage. I was the founder that brought them all together. I protected them and gave them meaning in life where there was none but survival.

It felt incredibly good.

I placed the boulder where the engineers wanted them and left soon after that.

I walked over to where Senna and few others were talking with a large group of people.

"Yo!" I waved as I came close to them. "So who wanted to talk with me?"

The guests looked at me with jaw-dropped-awe. Was I really that big of a deal?

"So big!" one of them squeaked in the background.

I blinked. I looked at myself and then to the guests.

I was big. There were trolls, kobolds, onis, and ...

"Are you a succubus?" I asked the last.

The one in question was a woman of average height. Her head came up to his mid-chest. She had a pair of thin curved horns on her forehead that rolled backward to form a short spiral. She was also dressed in rags as same as the others.

She smiled. "I am Chieftain Riddle of the Yodr Tribe."

"Yodr?" I mumbled. It was an odd name for a tribe, but perhaps not as Nomore.

She giggled. "It is a shortened version of what we used to call ourselves we settled around here."

I was surprised. "You live in our territory?" I said and then paused. "Excuse me. I meant to say if you lived near our clan."

She nodded graciously. "Yes. We settled a bit far from the valleys as to protect ourselves from the raiding bullywugs. With our magic, it was easy to keep them away from us."

"Huh." Then I turned to the others. "And you are...?" Now that I was closer to the group, I realized that the group was not one but actually two. The first group, which included Chieftain Riddle, stood a bit ahead of the other group, which probably numbered in the low dozens.

The kobold in the lead stepped up. "I am Chieftain Jeghal. I take care of the Ruyure Tribe north of your clan. It is a pleasure to meet the Bully Killer."

'Bully Killer...?' I really hoped that lame name was not nickname.

The troll in the lead group bowed slightly. "I am Chief Qreldo of the Werwen Tribe."

Then a human, surprisingly, stepped up. "I am Mayor Wilson of the Bidar City. We had many caravan and riders seeking your location."

Bidar City?

Wasn't that the city that Sholva told me about that's supposed to be within a day's journey from the Twin Peaks here? The one that Sholva and his caravan has to always stop by before coming to my clan?

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, but I do not know why you are all here ..." I said honestly. "But I think Shirou will be angry with me if I leave guests standing out here. Come, let's hear what you want at the dinner table."

As I had a fairy lead them into our city, I turned to Senna. "I thought there was going to be more?"

Senna smiled. "Two other tribes are making their way as of right now. Our fairies expect them to arrive by our city tomorrow morning. The human mayor, on the other hand, was a surprise. He and his entourage appeared from the forests and joined the tribes you saw. My fairies did confirm that the human mayor is who he says he is."

I nodded. I thanked her and made my way into the city as well.

* * *

As it had become a custom for my clan, we prepared a feast to welcome the guests and to feed ourselves. Shirou was in the back working overtime to put out delicious dishes.

Our feast was held the public hall/kitchen. The chiefs' escorts were also with us, drinking and eating to their hearts' content.

In particular, the human-contingent were amazed by the quality of the food we were putting out.

I had no such luxury to enjoy because I was discussing with the chiefs.

"So basically you guys all want protection from my clan?" I asked them with a basilisk drumstick in my hand.

They nodded.

Wilson spoke up. "I am willing to pay you, if that is what you want. After all, we hire guards all the time."

I scoffed at his reasoning. "If you want a pet dog to guard your house, then I'll have to say no. I have other things I have to do, and I don't intend to stay by your city for all the time. I'm sure you have mercenaries to guard for you."

The human mayor put his hands up. "I-I meant no offense, Chief Ruto. I was merely trying to convince you."

I put the drumstick down. "Let me talk with the monster tribes first. I need you to leave the table here when I do so.," I told him as I turned my head to the other three chiefs. Wilson nodded and walked away. I gave the monster chiefs my full attention. "I will protect you under one condition: you and your tribe will be under my protection but not as a stranger living off the land but a vassal. This means that when I call you to provide me with fighters, you will do so."

"How many are you expecting for us to provide you?" Jeghal asked in his deep baritone voice. "My tribe has only sixty or so members, half of whom are women and children."

"Eight to ten fighters, and one more fighter every time your tribe grows in number by increments of five."

The kobold chief pondered for a moment before he nodded. "It is reasonable."

I turned to the troll and succubus. "And you two?"

The troll looked sneered. "What happens if we don't provide you with fighters, especially when our own village is under attack?"

"Then I don't expect you to do so."

He hesitantly nodded after that.

Then I gave my full attention to the succubus. "And you?"

She looked hesitant. "I ... wanted to offer myself for the exchange of my tribe."

I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean to say I wanted to establish a relationship between our tribe and clan by ... marrying you."

I froze and then leaned back a bit.

"Uhh... No."

She looked shocked. "Why not?" she asked, confused. "There are many who are willing to offer more to have a succubus as their wife!"

I looked to the other two chiefs. "So you swear to become my vassals?" I asked them, ignoring Chief Riddle for a moment.

They nodded.

"Okay then, give me your right hand."

They did so hesitantly.

I placed my left on top of their hands. "Then we are brothers. We help each other when time comes. Do you sweat to this?"

They did.

I nodded. "I need to talk to Chief Riddle alone."

And then they left. Unlike the nervous human mayor though, they went back to their escorts to spread the good news. There were many a cheers before they were dragged in by my clan for the rest of the feast.

I kept my attention on Riddle. "Look, I don't mean to dismiss you or anything like that. I am neither prepared for or wishing to marry," I told her.

She frowned and stared at herself.

I had to admit. Riddle was attractive. Despite being dressed in rags and her skin dirtied with dirt, she had the combined body form of athlete and a well endowed model. I could see how lustrous her hair could be as even dirtied, I could see glimpses of her hair shining in the sunstone torchlight.

Still, my current concern was to protect my clan -and now the vassal tribes as well- from future human invasions. I also had the Duke of Transyl-Carpathi to meet. Marriage -and all the process involved- would make my life a bit too complicated.

"If I am going to protect your tribe, then I will need something in return. Marriage as of right now will only complicate things."

"Then... can my tribe move in to this city?"

I thought about it. "How many of you are there?"

"Thirty-four. We are a small tribe consisting of succubi, incubi, Faze, and few fairies."

I raised an eyebrow. "That is ... a very odd composition for a tribe."

She smiled. "So is your clan."

"Point," I chuckled. "I am not against your tribe moving into ours, but all of you must live, work, and fight as we do; I am against supporting any freeloaders."

She nodded quickly. "Yes! The tribe will be happy to hear that."

I nodded. "Good. Then welcome to the Ironwood Clan," I said as I extended my hand.

She looked at it for a few seconds before gently shaking it. "Thank you. You are very generous."

I shrugged. "I got two vassal tribes and a tribe to bolster our own city. I don't how I'm generous when all I did was make myself better."

She giggled.

* * *

I met Wilson outside the dining hall. He was with three other humans and a tauren.

Tauren was .. big

He looked like cows given human body. He was also heavily muscle bound and carried a broadsword which had the same width as the tauren's own wrist ... which was much thicker than my own.

"Yo."

They turned their attention to my almost immediately.

I put up a hand in a greeting gesture. "Discussed much?"

The mayor came up with a smile. "Yes. I ... ah... it seems that one of my entourage have discovered something. If we were to pay you in our own currency and other Listed cities forbid your entry, then the value of our currency will drop. Do you understand where I am going with this?"

I nodded. "I thought about the same thing as well. It is the reason why when I trade with the z'Retvoa, I deal with iron in exchange for our goods."

The Listed among the entourage looked nervous.

"I see," Wilson replied without a hint of nervousness that his friends seem to possess. "Is it possible for us to pay in you in other regard?"

"Name them."

"Perhaps food?"

I chuckled. "You just saw my public hall and the food. We also do not require much in the ways of obtaining them."

"How about potions?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Explain."

"Our city is well known for producing vast quantities and vast varieties of potions. Would it be alright to pay you with potions?"

I liked the idea. "I'll have to have the Retvoa confirm your claim, you must know?"

The mayor nodded. "Of course."

* * *

Our negotiation took quiet a while. In the end, we made a good settlement. My clan would patrol their city and its surrounding area, and should the city be assaulted and I am within my city, I will go to assist them. In exxchange, the Listed of the Bidar City agreed to pay my clan in silver coins, an alternative to their currency. I agreed to it on the condition that Bidar City will not reject any monster buyers seeking food, repair, and the like.

Overall, it was a very successful negotiation. Now, all I had to do was assign a group of my fighters most compatible with patrol duty.

I suspect that the patrol part will have to expand into all of my territory in the foreseeable future.

Ping!

**New skill!**

**[Vassalization (LvL 1)**  
To be strong, one must have a great foundation. You will find that foundation in your fellow men.  
***Allows user to vassalize those with weaker strength.**  
***Offer Vassalization: [(myClan*Power - targetClan*Power)*(Negotiation_LvL)*.1 + myClan*Fame*0.001]% of the other party accepting vassalization.**  
***+10% vassal tax (appears in inventory)]**

I stared at the screen before sighing. "I just got really complex skill right now," I muttered. "At least I'll get more stuff from my ... vassals," I chuckled. "I mean, who doesn't want more stuff?"

* * *

**(Chapter End)**

**(Omake and extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 155:**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]  
LvL 67  
The Gamer**

**Race: Mountain Troll**

**HP: 168.5(+312.5) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 710 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 625 (+312.5(SGM))  
DEX: 105  
AGI: 133  
END: 172  
INT: 122  
WIS: 119  
CHA: 84  
Unused Points: 11**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 100**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +20**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of a Great Mountain (SGM)**

**Focus:  
X**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

**Unique Skills:  
****Berserker (LvL 1)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 1)****  
****Observe (LvL 45) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 28)  
Reinforcement (LvL 3)  
****Sonar (LvL 29)****  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Archery (LvL 14)  
Ambush (LvL 11)  
Baiting (LvL 28)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 18)  
Charging (LvL 14)  
Crafting (LvL 14) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 10)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Intimidation (LvL 10)  
Leadership (LvL 10)  
Listening (LvL 16)  
Mapping (LvL 4)  
Negotiation (LvL 8) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Physical Durability (LvL 13)  
Running (LvL 34)  
Teaching (LvL 5)  
Throwing (LvL 20)  
Trapping (LvL 26)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 9)**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**30 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
20 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
6 Faze (Candy)**(xx)**  
19 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
3 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
15 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
4 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
27 imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
3 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
59 fairies**(x)

**Imprisoned:  
6 humans (injured) + ?**

* * *

**Importan Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy**  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -100  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan +1000  
Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +53  
Nomore Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Erlen Shkitfield's Host to Reclaim Southern Carpathi -1000**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Sholva z'Retvoa +70  
**

* * *

**Additional Character Sheet #1**

**Shirou Emiya  
LvL 50  
Pale Oni**

**HP: 200  
MP: 1600  
**

**STR: 160  
DEX: 232  
AGI: 330  
END: 100  
INT: 90  
WIS: 100(+87)  
CHA: 60**

**Power: 26  
Magic: 90  
Spirit: 70**

**Traits:  
Diligent, Honest, Kind, Protector, Reincarnation, Quick, Attractive, Brave, Proud, Chef, Sword-Affinity, Anti-Hero**

* * *

**Additional Character Sheet #2**

**Candy  
LvL 38  
Faze  
**

**HP: 95  
MP: 250  
**

**STR: 59  
DEX: 80  
AGI: 85  
END: 43  
INT: 64  
WIS: 55  
CHA: 35**

**Power: 20  
Magic: 20  
Spirit: 41**

**Traits:  
Arbitrary, Lustful, Quick, Patient, Wroth, Trickster  
**

* * *

**Terms:**

**tribalPower:  
**tribalPower, cityPower, and etc refers to how a particular organization or city appears to others. It acts in conjunction with Fame(Prestige). For example, Los Angelos would have high Power and high Fame, but Slab city would have 0 Power and negative Fame.

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

***Zentari2238**: You say that one way focus is the worst possible/boring thing. Why don't you write a story that has a stupid all rounder that has too much plot-shield? Do you even know how boring that is? But back to the point, do you even play games, bro? Have you seen a Priest-rogue? I don't think so, cuz they don't exist. It would be great, you know. A rogue that can go into stealth and heal everyone. But it doesn't exist.

*At the same time, yes, I do think that there should be a second stat that Ruto should push for. I am leaning on DEX or AGI to help with STR


	28. Chapter 28

**Readers are advised to:  
1\. Read the story from the start (chapter 1).**

* * *

**Day 156:**

The next day, I greeted another two tribe chiefs and their escorts. The tribes of Na'sh and Bouldon became my vassals as well. With them under me, the number of people under me had shot up from a mere hundred fifty to almost four hundred! But at the same time, my territory had grown beyond just the single mountain and its immediate surrounding area to cover a much wider range. It meant that my people had to patrol more places too.

As of the moment, all non-training fighters were in patrol groups, leaving the city with less than a dozen guards.

It would have to do for now, though.

Shirou, Iskan, and I were training up constantly streaming "immigrants" for whatever profession they desired. Shirou was, once again, in charge of general education, but now he had some more help. Fairies weren't the best teachers nor students, but succubi/incubi and the onis were.

I just ended up giving Iskan the overall control over the training of the new recruits.

What did I do?

I now trained the elite fighters, and my training was simple: Survive against me. No special endurance training or anything like that. Just survive against me every single time training comes.

Everyone else called it harsh.

Meh.

Still, the five-membered elites were growing faster than anyone else. The fastest growing of them had gone from a weak imp to a strong troll.

* * *

**Day 157:**

Today, I was focused on my quest to make myself -or find- a weapon fitting for my Stats. I left the wall building to the city, and they continued to finish the wall

At first, I tried to make it like the good old days (aka my previous life). I visited Shirou in his workshop and attempted to recreate Megalodon, my bloodthirsty, berserk-inducing giant broadsword. But after seven tries, lack of right materials, and a day wasted, I gave up on Megalodon.

* * *

**Day 158:**

This time, I tried to create a whole new weapon. I even got ideas from reluctant Shirou, who regaled me with tales of Heracles the Berserker.

My first experimental design weapon began with a slab of rock. It was the sturdiest and most resilient piece of a boulder I could find. I used a hammer and a flat-tipped iron rod. It was a slow going process.

I chipped away at that rock.

* * *

**Day 159:**

I chipped away at that rock.

* * *

**Day 160:**

I had a general shape of it down, but I had a lot more chipping to do.

* * *

**Day 161:**

So close...!

"Chief, we need you at the northern construction site!"

"I'm going!"

* * *

**Day 164:**

Done!

Ha ha! I did it!

**[Lesser Axe of Stone**  
**Quality: Inferior  
Components: Granite**  
**Physical Damage: 60**  
**Requirement: 300 STR]**

...

Damn it! It's so weak!

Again!

* * *

**Day 170:**

My last two weapons were failures, but I did LvL Up my Crafting by 1 with them.

But on my third try, I had succeeded. Unlike the first and second, I decided to take advice from our resident blacksmith on how to make weapons. He gave me some pointers.

Instead of carving the weapon out stone, I was going to make it out of iron.

**[Ironwood Hammer**  
**Quality: Uncommon**  
**Components: Folded Ironwood Cast Steel (ICI)**  
**Physical Damage: 90**  
**Requirement: 500 STR]**

And it was done.

I grasped the hammer by the handle and pulled it up.

It looked simple. The head of the hammer was a 60 centimeter by 40 centimeters by 30 centimeter cast iron with its corners cut. This hammer's head alone was bigger than heads of most humans and any other races. Perhaps it was because of how he had pounded the steel or the ironwood he had used to fuel the fire and thus the steel, the head of the hammer had taken the whitish brown wavy pattern to its light grey steel.

Its handle shaft was made out of ironwood, or as Sholva put it, the strongest known wood in the region and beyond. With the head of hammer's 30 centimeter height and the handle's 2 meter length, it was taller than I was.

And it was heavy too.

Yes. This was it!

"Haha!" I let out a laugh as I hefted the warhammer over my head.

Ping!

**[Quest Complete!]**

* * *

With the weapon done, I went to test it.

The first thing I tested it?

A boulder, of course.

I stood before a boulder that was bigger than I was. I was outside of the city at the bottom of the swamp valley that was now my clan's territory.

There were some from the clan who were watching me from the sidelines, wondering what I was going to do on a boulder with a warhammer.

I handled the weapon easily with one hand, twirling it with my fingers as I had seen Shirou twirl with his crude charcoal pencil.

I approached the boulder, one step at a time before the mood got me.

Without any warning, I grabbed the hammer's shaft with both of my hands, and swung it down upon the boulder.

A resounding crack split the ears of anyone near me and even I felt dazed from the sharp crack.

I pulled my hammer away and gawked at what I saw.

A boulder bigger than one of the houses in our city now supported a zagged crack right down the middle.

I stared at it before a wicked grin split my face.

"Hell yeah!"

Ping!

**[New Skill learned!]**

**[Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 1)**  
**This is the second weapon of humanity.**  
**Effect: +5% Physical Damage**  
**Effect: +[(mySTR - target:armor:END)*0.1]% of shattering target armor]**

I whistled. This was a skill designed to _destroy _armored units. I liked it.

* * *

**Day 171:**

It was time for me to meet the Duke.

I had been debating over the decision in the past two weeks or so even as I worked on the wall or my warhammer. Information about the duke that Sholva could also provide me -at a cost- had reached me as well in the time.

In the end, I decided that it was time for me to see him.

So yesterday, I sent a letter to Sholva to come and escort me to the Duke wherever he may be.

Our destination today was the capital of the Tranyl-Carpathi Duchy, the City of Sofia.

The jounrey was expected to take days.

I picked out three guys to escort me: Senna, Candy, and Arlan.

I took those three with me because of their position and strength.

Senna was a Greater Fairy, someone who stood on a higher level of respect and awe than a fairy to humans. On top of that, she was also a very strong supporter. Her ability to manipulate plants was the primary reason for so; she could make instant defenses with her tree.

Candy was actually brought along for her combat prowess. Excluding me and Shirou, Candy ranked fourth in the entire clan. She had a special set of skills she called "Devourer's Dance" that utilized her race's racial trait.

[Hungry Mind]. It was a skill that always chilled me to the bones.

When Faze and the Vashta Nerada get into a feeding frenzy, they can "bite" anyone from any part of their body.

"Devourer's Dance" utilized that trait, and Candy forced herself into a self-induced, temporary feeding frenzy for its duration. Her dance could eat through even steel. She actually used the skill against a small group of orcs who were lost in our territory, and there wasn't enough blood to confirm exactly how many she killed.

The number of machetes did, though.

16.

She didn't even gain belly fat after she ate.

The last member, Arlan, was brought for the same purpose. Unlike Candy, though, Arlan was a brawler warrior. He wielded a tomahawk he made himself and a shortsword that we made for all of the clan fighters. He ranked just below Candy in terms of combat prowess, but unlike her, Arlan was capable of prolonged fights.

It was for those reasons that I intended to bring them with me, and they agreed to join me in my journey.

Ah, I see Sholva.

I stood up from where I had been sitting in front of our still building gate and waved.

They paused for a second before slowly making their way towards me.

By the time they were in front of me, I realized why they paused.

They were gawking at the wall we were building. I glanced over my shoulder and grinned. "We got to work fast, didn't we?" I asked him as he dismounted from his horse.

"Yeah, you did..." he muttered. "I mean no one with the size of your clan can build a wall this fast..."

I shrugged. "I helped a lot in laying the foundation."

With that, I led them in so that they can rest of a few moments before we headed back out.

* * *

The Duke of Transyl-Carpathi, or as the commoners often call him, the Lord of the Valleys, was a relaxed man. Having descended from a long line of rulers who had ruled the region as far as four hundred years ago, he loved his people and his home like no other. He was a good leader who helped the region grow in its prosperity in the recent decade, even with the bullywugs and the orcs in the east launching many a raids.

Or that's what Sholva told me in his letters.

We were now at a war time.

The duke's own brother was launching the campaign against him for the land and led an army of over four thousand compared to the duke's own two thousand.

Or had.

We crushed about a little over half a thousand in the two battles that took outside of my clan's city, leaving less than three thousand five hundred soldiers under Shkifield. Supposedly, this put my clan in a high standing with the denizens of the region because sudden drop in his army's number forced Shkifield to hold off on raiding.

"What do you mean you're going to 'wing it?'" Sholva asked me.

"Exactly what I said. I'm not going to meet your duke with some plan in mind. You did say that he hates manipulators."

"But you must have some kind of a general plan to seek ... something, right?!"

I just laughed. I really didn't. I was going to say hi, hear what the duke has to say, say what I have to say, and be done.

* * *

**(Chapter End)**

**(Omake and extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 171:**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]  
LvL 68  
The Gamer**

**Race: Mountain Troll**

**HP: 168.5(+312.5) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 710 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 625 (+312.5(SGM))  
DEX: 105  
AGI: 133  
END: 172  
INT: 128  
WIS: 119  
CHA: 84  
Unused Points: 16**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +20**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of a Great Mountain (SGM)**

**Focus:  
X**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

**Unique Skills:  
****Berserker (LvL 1)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 1)****  
****Observe (LvL 45) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 28)  
Reinforcement (LvL 3)  
****Sonar (LvL 29)****  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Archery (LvL 14)  
Ambush (LvL 11)  
Baiting (LvL 28)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 18)  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 3)  
Charging (LvL 14)  
Crafting (LvL 14) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 10)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Intimidation (LvL 10)  
Leadership (LvL 10)  
Listening (LvL 16)  
Mapping (LvL 4)  
Negotiation (LvL 8) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Physical Durability (LvL 13)  
Running (LvL 34)  
Teaching (LvL 5)  
Throwing (LvL 20)  
Trapping (LvL 26)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 9)**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**30 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
20 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
6 Faze (Candy)**(xx)**  
19 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
3 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
15 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
4 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
40 imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
3 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
59 fairies**(x)  
**15 Incubu/Succubi** (xx) 

**Imprisoned:  
6 humans (injured) + ?**

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy**  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Na'Malk** \- Na'sh Tribe (tribalPower: 6)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -100  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan +1000  
Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +53  
Nomore Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Erlen Shkitfield's Host to Reclaim Southern Carpathi -1000**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Sholva z'Retvoa +80**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Elves were given to Sholva who knew how to deal with prisoner exchange. The humans that are still imprisoned are what one would call "human numbers." They are not not knights but regular soldiers who were caught after the battle.


	29. Chapter 29

**Day 173:**

Due to a sudden rainfall during our journey to the capital of the duchy, our plotted route had to be circumvented because of landslide and mud. It took us another day to reach the city, but here we were on the second day of our journey, safe and sound, with only a bridge to cross.

I looked upon the capital of the Transyl-Carpathi duchy.

It was an awe-inspiring city. The city itself had walls that were twice as high as those of my city's. They were also placed meticulously into place, creating a seamless grey wall.

It was nothing like the walls of Bidar City that we passed by on our way to this city.

Sholva grinned. "Amazing sight, isn't it?" he asked me.

I nodded. "I wonder if I can erect a wall like that around my own city."

Sholva laughed out loud. "Good luck with that. Our capital is known as the 'Old Man of Walls,' because of how stubborn and old it is. The walls supposedly predate the formation of the duchy itself."

"And how old is the duchy?"

"Give or take half a thousand years."

Wow. That was a long time. For a wall to be standing so pristine after 500 years went to show the engineering expertise of whoever built that wall.

"And was this bridge also built around that time?"

Sholva shook his head. "Duke Transvoya Zepolya, that is the current duke's grandfather, commissioned the construction of this bridge about fifty years ago. It was only completed two decades ago. I was there to see its completion."

Unlike the wall that was still far away, the bridge that we were looking at was right in front of me.

And was it not magnificent as much as the walls themselves.

The City of Pset was built on top of a mountain, as if someone had removed the tip and placed a city there. It was a good position to withstand any form of siege.

The bridge, which probably meant to open up trade and movement of people, was built between two _mountains_.

Yes, the entire _stone_ bridge spanned across an entire valley. Wider than half a kilometer, this bridge was another feat of engineering I could only hope to learn.

And the duke of all this wanted to meet me.

...

Maybe I'm starting to feel a little bit more pressure.

Sholva read our group across the bridge, which I estimated to be hanging freely with only arch support below at several hundred meters off the ground at the middle, to the gates of the Pset wall.

There were guards there, and for the first time, I got a look at a non-hostile human warrior. Or guard. Same shit.

**[Pset Guard**  
**LvL 30**

**ATK: 40 **  
**DEF: 50 (shield)**  
**SPD: 3 m/s**

**Equipment:**  
**Steel Helmet**  
**Steel Chestplate**  
**Steel Shinguard**  
**Steel Kite Shield**  
**Steel Shortspear**  
**Steel Shortsword]**

In all, despite its small level, it was well trained, well armored, and well armed. If many clan's fighters were to fight one on one with these guards, then my clan would lose more often than not. Only few fighters like Iskan, Candy, Shirou, and so on would win.

It seemed that if my clan was to fight the humans, they would need more training and better arms and armor.

Sholva showed the captain of the guard -distinguishable due to his shoulder guard and fancy helmet- a letter with a weird stamp on it.

He took the letter, read it, and nodded. The guards opened the gate for us and led us in.

"Say, Sholva, are the guards usually this uptight?" I asked the man quietly after we passed the gate.

The man laughed. "No, no. They were apprehensive about you, my good man."

"Me?"

"Everyone in the region knows that you were the one responsible for taking out more than five hundred men of Shkifield's army by yourself."

I frowned. "How-?"

Here, Sholva looked a bit nervous. "I may have spread the news about how ... powerful my trading partner was."

I glared at him. "Really?"

"I got you to meet the duke, though! Don't blame me for your fame!"

I scoffed. "I'll talk to you later about this, you hear me?"

* * *

The interior of the city was clean. Like the walls, the street was grey and well paved, unlike the dirt road in my city. The buildings were different in design than the wall and the street, but they were pretty in their own white and blue color scheme and wide windows.

The denizens of the city murmured and watched me as my group and I made our way across the main road of the city. They gave me and Candy odd, fearful, or anticipating looks while Senna received respectful or awed looks.

There were elves, humans, taurens... but there was a lack of variety in this city when it came to people.

"So how many races are in the Listed Races again?" I asked Sholva.

"In this duchy, there are the Main Six. Humans, elves, taurens, draconians, beastmen, and the angelians, or angels as most of us call them."

"Angels...?"

Sholva waved his hand as if to dismiss. "They're not spiritual or anything like that. They're just human-like race with white or black wings. But because the white wings are the majority, we humans tend to call them angels. They don't have a race name for themselves, so the name angels stuck. Over time, the name angel became angelian in the official records."

"Huh."

"They are generally peaceful people. Oh, you can see one over there."

I turned towards where Sholva was pointing.

There stood a man with two pairs of white wings, and he wore the same armor as that of the city guards. With a really, really, _really _long spear.

**[Pset Aerial City Guard**  
**LvL 40**

**ATK: 45**  
**DEF: 0**  
**SPD 10 m/s**

**Equipment:**  
**Thin Steel Helmet**  
**Thin Steel Chestplate**  
**Steel Sarissa (Long Spear)**  
**Bow &amp; Quiver of arrows]**

"Dolan!" Sholva called out, and the angelian city guard waved in return. "He used to be one of my family's vassal members. Got transferred over here and after some trouble, ended up as one of the city guards. Been at the job for the past decade."

"I see," I replied politely.

To me, the city was a wonderful place so far. Despite lacking the variety of races that could be found in my own city, there were enough of them to give it an air of acceptance of other races, or at least indifference. I was also looking at _real civilization _that my city could only mimic. This place had history!

Now, I began to wonder what the duke would be like. I hadn't before, but after looking at the happy people he ruled over, I began to wonder.

As I wondered, we reached another wall. This wall looked far older than the one outside.

"This is the citadel of this city," Sholva helpfully pointed out. "This is where the duke, his family, his relatives, and his guards live."

The citadel of Pset was ... tall.

Its walls weren't much of a sight to see, but the castle within it was. Its white walls towered over the outer city wall with towers and spires. There were flags on top of the towers, presumably the duke's own flag.

Once again, Sholva showed the guards the letter he held, and we were let in.

I realized just how different the citadel was to the city outside of the inner wall. Instead of houses and buildings of commerce, there were barracks lining up the walls in two stories with a wooden walkway for the second floor. The entire packed dirt space between the barracks and the citadel itself was a training ground. And there were hundreds of soldiers training.

"How many people are in this citadel exactly...?" I asked Sholva.

"About eight hundred. I'd say out of the eight hundred, one hundred are cavalry."

That's a lot of soldiers.

"I wonder why I didn't see any cavalry when I fought against Shkifield."

"Ah, that would be because you fought the Molbovian noble coming to help Shkifield."

Both Sholva, my group, and I turned around to see the soldier who let us speak. With a grin, the soldier took off his helmet.

And Sholva dropped to his knees.

"My lord!"

I blinked. Now that I looked at him, the duke was young and definitely human. He looked like an adolescent. Maybe in his late teens, but definitely younger than twenty. He had blonde hair and a pair of black eyes. He had sharp angular face that was not quite handsome but attractive enough among the humans. He had a tear-streak tattoo on his left cheek, running down from his eyes and ending at his jawline.

"That's a nice face you have there, Troll King."

I blinked again. "Wait what?"

The duke just laughed before he extended his hand. "Duke Christopher Zepolya of the Transyl-Carpathi Duchy. It's nice to meet the one who kept my eastern border safe."

I shook his hand. "Chief Ruto of the Ironwood Clan."

"Come! Let's talk inside my castle."

* * *

Once we were inside, instead of taking me to the throne as it was custom, the duke led me to a decently decorated room where a dining table had been set. There were guards already there with a chef waiting in the corner of the room. When the duke entered, the chef quickly set to work, leaving the room through the backdoor and returning with a tray filled with luxurious food.

The table had twelve chairs.

"I know that you are hungry from your long journey, so sit. It is time for lunch," the duke invited cheerfully as he sat himself.

I looked at Sholva.

"Is this normal?" I whispered.

He shook his head.

I shrugged, and not wanting to look rude with the invitation, sat down on the offered chair. "Can my men eat with me too?"

"Of course, of course. Help yourselves," he replied. The guards didn't look that happy about this, though. Except Senna. Everyone just seemed to adore Senna.

We ate in comfortable silence with a few conversation here and there. The food was good, and I detected no poison or the like with [Observe].

White Boar meat and ketchup ... I would have to import some later from Sholva.

Once our meal was over and the waitresses and waiters quickly cleaned our table, the duke got down to business.

"I'm happy you came, Chief Ruto," he began.

"It is my pleasure to have your audience, sir," I replied, using everything I knew about talking with "high-born"s that I learned from Shirou.

The oni was a savior in too many fields.

He chuckled. "It is my pleasure as well. And I was wondering if you would be willing to talk with me in private?"

I thought about it for a while, looking straight into the duke's eyes before nodding. "Sholva, Senna, Candy, Arlan. Leave us."

They nodded, and left.

"Guards. Leave us."

They did so as well.

Now, it was just me and the duke in the large room.

"First off, I would like to thank you for defending my citizens in the eastern border, Chief Ruto. Bullywugs have always been a nuisance since my great-great-grandfather's time, but our efforts to root them out were fruitless," he said.

"No problem," I replied. "They were bothering me a bit too much with kidnapping, eating, and selling others to slavery."

"Ah, slave trade. I was wondering where it began."

"You condone it?"

"Goodness, no. I have recently passed a law forbidding possession of serfs or slaves in my duchy. It's not good for the economy and morale, you see."

I chuckled. "I think I can get along with you."

"I think so too," the duke replied with a grin. "But I must ask this. What do you intend to do?"

"You might need to explain. What would I do?"

"Well, with someone of your status and strength, you could easily gather an army. Hell, you can probably become a demon lord if you so wished. The fact that you kept yourself hidden with very little information before Shkifield attacked you is a testament to the fact."

"My clan and I weren't hiding ourselves. We were just too busy dealing with the bullywugs to do anything else."

"And reports I received stated that that is no longer true. Something about wiping out several of their cities?"

I laughed nervously. Since they already knew, there was no point in not sharing. It would at least make me look forthcoming and honest with something that is happened in their territory. "Well, they kept trying to set up forts around the foot of my mountain, so I kept blowing it up from afar with this."

I made one of the Bomb Arrows. I gave it to him for inspection, and he looked at it in awe.

"And how many of these can you make? Would you be willing to sell some to us?"

"A hundred a day, maybe?"

"...I'd like a demonstration after this."

"Sure. Anyway, what I did with the fort was nothing. One of my clan's small chief was the one who blew away one of their cities."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Power like that irks the nobility everywhere."

I laughed nervously. "I honestly don't intend to do anything. Drive the bullywugs out of the area, maybe, but nothing outside of that."

"... I'll believe you. After all, you could've killed me right now."

"Eh?"

"But it's beside the point. There is something I'd like to ask, however."

"Okay...?"

"Would you like to become an ally of mine?"

* * *

**(Chapter End)**

**(Omake and extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 173:**

**Naruto [Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto]  
LvL 68  
The Gamer**

**Race: Mountain Troll**

**HP: 168.5(+312.5) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 710 (+5.9 per minute regen)**

**STR: 625 (+312.5(SGM))  
DEX: 105  
AGI: 133  
END: 172  
INT: 128  
WIS: 119  
CHA: 84  
Unused Points: 16**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +20**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of a Great Mountain (SGM)**

**Focus:  
X**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

**Unique Skills:  
****Berserker (LvL 1)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 1)****  
****Observe (LvL 45) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 28)  
Reinforcement (LvL 3)  
****Sonar (LvL 29)****  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Archery (LvL 14)  
Ambush (LvL 11)  
Baiting (LvL 28)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 18)  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 3)  
Charging (LvL 14)  
Crafting (LvL 14) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 10)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Intimidation (LvL 10)  
Leadership (LvL 10)  
Listening (LvL 16)  
Mapping (LvL 4)  
Negotiation (LvL 8) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Physical Durability (LvL 13)  
Running (LvL 34)  
Teaching (LvL 5)  
Throwing (LvL 20)  
Trapping (LvL 26)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 9)**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**30 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
20 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
6 Faze (Candy)**(xx)**  
19 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
3 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
15 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
4 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
40 imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
3 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
59 fairies**(x)  
**15 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)

**Imprisoned:  
6 humans (injured) + ?**

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy**  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Na'Malk** \- Na'sh Tribe (tribalPower: 6)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan +1000  
Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Na'sh Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Erlen Shkitfield's Host to Reclaim Southern Carpathi -1000**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Sholva z'Retvoa +80**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Ironwood Hammer (Uncommon)**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*So do you guys have any races that you want to see as part of the Listed Races or in Ruto's clan? Don't say kitsune.

*For the Hell Hounds. It is one of the evolution of the imps.

*Rereading the story was to jog your memory :P

*Faze is just made-up race on my part.

*Fixed the incubi/succubi issue on the clan chart.

*It is Ruto's third evolution.


	30. Chapter 30

**So I actually had this completed the day after I posted the previous chapter. Fancy. That. But I wasn't sure about its quality, so I had been sitting, correcting, and modifying the chapter to my liking. Hope you enjoy it.**

**Omake will have a little surprise... :D**

* * *

**Day 173(continued):**

"Wait, what?"

The duke chuckled. "How would you like to be an ally of mine? It is a harsh world out there."

"Why would you want _me _as your ally? Don't you have magicians under your command?" I asked him in turn. This was becoming a bit weird. The duke invites me and now he wants me as his ally.

Where are the reasons?

The duke sighed. "Truth be told, my duchy is not where you would find magicians. While we provide good protection and subsidize their research, we lack the basic foundation like a ley line, library specifically for magic, and the like to attract them in the first place. Few children that are capable of becoming magicians are sent off by their families to far away academies in hope of seeing them becoming better. I can't fault them personally, but as a duke who needs to keep his realm safe, it is discerning."

So there were the reasons. "And my clan can provide you with them not only because we are a monster clan with nowhere else to go but also because we would not be accepted into other magic academies."

The duke frowned. "Those aren't exactly my reasons..." he complained. "Sure, I could do that, but I could also hire human mages who would be willing to sell their services for petty money. No, what I want to do is foster growth of magical community in my duchy."

I gave him a quick hard look before nodding. "Alright, I get where you're going, but you do realize that we're not a magic clan, right?"

He blinked. "You're not? How could you otherwise come up with inventions like those Bomb Arrows?" he asked.

"Just two or three of us brainstorming."

He scoffed and then chuckled. "This only makes you and your clan that much valuable in my eyes."

"Really?"

"Of course! The idea behind your Bomb Arrow is not new but your way of implementation was. Do you realize how powerful those Bomb Arrows and their creators will be? In battle, you can have a mage sit in the back to pump out those arrows while your elite archers rain explosions on your enemies."

Now that it was put that way.

"Yeah, that is what we did with the second Shkifield army..." I murmured.

"That's why I want you as my ally. You are someone, despite his small territory and resource, that maximizes their potential to become a man of power. It won't be long before you will be known in the local international stage, you know."

"Ugh," I grumbled. That was trouble I did not need. I was too busy taking care of internal and security.

"So let me help you, as your ally."

This man ... drove a hard bargain.

I grinned. "You realize I'm right next door if you backstab me?"

He just laughed. "Never fear. I have no intention of betraying you when you are so near me." He stood up from his chair and walked to the backdoor. He tapped it twice, and it opened. A butler came in with a silver tray.

Duke Zepolya took something from it, a silver emblem, and walked over to me.

"Then as my ally and friend, I would like to give you this."

I gingerly took it and looked over it.

It was roughly the size of my palm. There was a sword engraved on the shield-shaped emblem with many swamp trees and mountains in the background. "What is it?"

"That is the official emblem for the ownership of the Barony of Upper Carpathi. I suspected that you were going to accept my hand of friendship and alliance," he grinned cheekily. "So I had it made early."

I chuckled as I stood up. He extended his hand and I shook it.

"Now, you must know something about how the land ownership among the Listed races work," Christopher said as he had me sit down again. "First thing: those emblems are magical."

"And you made this? I thought you didn't have any magicians with you."

"I said I didn't have a foundation for them. Truth is, I myself am a magician, albeit a beginner."

I raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Didn't realize that."

He chuckled. "Not many do. Anyway, those emblem contain within them a magical binding contract that secures the owner of the emblem to the land that the emblem is tied to. They are unbreakable, and even if they break, they will mend overnight as long as it is on the land it was bound to. With it, you could grant anyone living on the land the right to live there. If they are more powerful than you magically, they can shrug it off. But the magic-less population? They must follow what you demand unless they follow someone strong enough to shrug the emblem's power."

I stared at him and then at the emblem.

"Normally when wars over land are won, these emblem are exchanged. This emblem, the Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi, will ensure that if someone tries to settle on your land illegally or without your consent, you can literally order them off. These emblems are also the reason why Shkifield declared war on me and my duchy."

He paused. "Also, by my self gifting you this emblem, I am legally recognizing you as the ruler of the Barony of Upper Carpathi. This will prevent my own nobles from declaring war on you without just cause."

I stared at the silver emblem in my hand before nodding. "Thank you," I said as I deposited it into my inventory.

Again, the duke bugged out. "Where did it go?" he asked me.

"It's in my inventory."

"Is it some kind of dimensional pocket space? How much mana does it require?"

Ah. The duke was a magic-enthusiast. That kind of explains why he was eager to have me as his ally. He was someone who was familiar with magic's might and knew the basics of it.

"It's ... a special ability of mine. Let's leave it at that. It's unlikely for anyone else to copy it."

He seemed reluctant to let the matter drop, but he did.

Then he smiled.

"Well, then as your new ally ... I'm throwing us a feast!"

...Huh. Guess we're not that different.

* * *

The feast was grander than anything my clan could throw in our city. Important figures from all over the duchy were invited, and my small chiefs and their escorts were invited as well. Out of the nine invited, seven refused. Most of my vassal tribes were wary of humans and the Listed Races, and used it as an excuse to not come.

Except Jeghal. The oddball of a kobold accepted the invitation and came with his wife, children, and five warriors.

Surprisingly, Iskan refused. He stated that someone had to keep the city safe when I was away, and I agreed. He was the next strongest, physically, and from the last [Observation] I had on him, he was loyal to me.

Dresa and Riddle refused for the same reason; they stated that they weren't interested in feasts when they had everything they needed in my city. Dresa also stated her responsibility as the Mining Chief. Riddle stated her own responsibility of integrating her people to my city.

Shirou accepted the duke's invitation.

The feast itself was grand.

There were many contests, cheers, and whiskey.

Whiskey. It was something I never had before, and I loved it instantly. The burning of the alcohol as it slid down my throat was an intoxicating feeling.

* * *

**Day 175:**

It was time for me to leave.

The duke stood at the outer gate with a small squad of escorts. "It's time, eh?" he asked me.

Over the last two days, he and I had surprisingly bonded really well.

We gave our last handshake before I left with my people.

We crossed the bridg-.

Ping! Ping!

**[New Title: Baron of Upper Carpathi! +100 Fame]**

**[+50 Fame!]**

Ping! Ping!

**LvL Up!**  
**+3 CHA**  
**+3 WIS**

**LvL Up!**  
**+4 CHA**

Ping! Ping! Ping!

**[You have become a Hero-tier player! [Achievement System] Unlocked!]  
[You have become a Hero-tier player! [Class System] Unlocked!]  
[You have become a Hero-tier Baron! [Unit Classification] Skill Unlocked!]**

Ping!

**[Achievement: Friend-Maker! (Vassalize or ally with more than five factions!]**

"Huh," I muttered after the wave of alerts took me in a daze. I began to clear them away. "Looks like that alliance was something big as far as my Gamer power was concerned."

* * *

Without interruption, we arrived back at our Ironwood City at dusk, and was greeted heartily by the worried ... citizens of my city.

* * *

**(Chapter End)**

* * *

**Omake:**

* * *

Not unlike the Mountains of Carpathi, another region in the world was suffering from war and chaos as well.

And in this place too existed a hero.

The cloaked figure stared down at the armies clashing, unaware that a third faction was observing them and their lords, who had declared war upon each other for a strip of farmland belonging to neither of them. Believing the other to be nefarious (when they both were), instead of fighting the ruler of the land they wanted, they were fighting each other.

The three way battle was taking place in the fields that bordered the three disputing nations, but more inland towards the one whose land the other two wanted.

After all, the ruler of the land had a very small army, numbering only at a thousand troops, while they possessed armies in the tens of thousands.

The cloaked figure watched as the right flank of the army to the figure's right attempted to force their way around the opposing army in an attempt to encircle. The opposing general saw through this easily, and pulled troops from his right flank to bolster the left flank. But this had an unintended consequence of allowing the heavy infantries to break through the general's left. Cavalry was now being unleashed.

The figure watched as hundreds began to die in the battlefield. The Army of Black, the one which had attempted a flank on one but overwhelmed the other, was now on a rampage as they cut down hundreds in a rout.

And they still had six thousand troops, which were now veering towards the army underneath the figure's feet.

The figure scoffed. "They are far too arrogant. A direct attack right after they had exhausted their troops? They are depending on their numbers too much."

He turned around, his cloak sweeping around him as he made his way down from the small hill he had been observing the other battle from.

"Your Highness, they approach us."

"Prepare the troops as planned."

"Yes, your Highness!"

* * *

"They think they can stand their ground, ha!" King Bartholomeo the III of the Uxukhan Kingdom laughed as he saw his troops march straight towards the Army of Caladria. "A mere thousand against my six thousand. They stand no chance."

He rode upon his white stallion at the main camp. He wore a ceremonial golden helmet and gold-trimmed shoulder guards and chestplate.

The nobles and generals who had followed the boastful king to this battlefield were laughing along with the man.

Their king's words were true, after all. An army of a thousand would be hard pressed to fight against six thousand with a advantage on their side, but in an open field like this?

No. This was going to be a massacre.

Then a messenger galloped right up to the king. "Your Highness, Marshall O'veur sends me to implore you to withdraw the order to attack the Caladrian army! He states that the fields are too muddy and will suffer a heavy loss in our charge!"

The king scoffed. "Give him the signal to continue with my order. Our shields are strong. No mere few dozen arrows will stop my army!"

* * *

"500 meters!" the bannerman standing next to the King of Caladria shouted over to the troops.

Unlike the army of Uxukhan, who were charging through the muddy fields, the Caladrian army held firm in their spot with their wooden stakes pounded into the ground pointing towards the Uxukhanians. Behind the spikes were shieldholders, placing their entire body in the hands of the tower shield they held.

Behind them were the rest of the soldiers.

"450 meters!"

"Do not attack unless I give the signal!" the king shouted. He himself was armored and armed for battle, unlike Bartholomeo. He held no gaudy golden helmet nor did he ride upon a magnificent horse.

In fact, one could only tell that he was a king due to the gold-trimmed banner of the Caladrian royal flag held next to him. Instead of fancy armor, he had the clothes of a lesser noble; he dressed in cheap silk. Indeed, the only personal protection he had was a single dagger and a red-headed, bunny warrior next to him.

"400 meters!"

He was a common men's king. While in ceremony, he was like any other king, he refused to use the tax of his people for lavish reasons outside of fairs and feasts, and even then the feasts were few and far between and fairs were plentiful to keep many happy.

"300!"

"Do not shoot yet!"

"250!"

"Not yet!"

"200!"

"NOW!"

As one, five hundred men rose up together behind the shield wall with their longbow drawn.

And let loose as one.

Just as the Uxukhan army struck the waist deep zone of the muddy field.

The hail of arrows rose up into the air, squealing and hissing, before falling down. They sped down to the ground with vengeance and struck mark in the tightly packed targets of the six thousand army.

Then as they were nocking their bow, a hundred crossbowmen between the shieldholders and the longbow archers rose up with the signal of the king, and fired. Unlike the archers, they shot straight at the knee-deep to waist-deep charging army closest to them.

Men dropped like flies as both attacks hit the army simultaneously.

"Light the fuse!"

The engineer in the frontline grinned before he lit a torch and threw it over the shield wall.

The torch flew -to the confusion of the Uxukhanians- and landed on a set of strings placed on a clean linen sheet.

The strings caught fire and rapidly moved towards the charging fighters.

The Uxukhanians didn't notice. After all, they were now less than a hundred meters from the Caladrians.

That's when the second volley of arrows and bolts struck them ... but not at their front like many of the frontliners expected, but to the back.

**_BOOOOMMMMM!_**

The middle formation blew up in a fiery of smoke and red fire.

The frontline were now cut off from the rest of the army by the smoke, fire, and explosion.

That's when rapidfire volley of the longbow archers came crashing into them without mercy quickly followed by the deadly crossbow bolts. Of the eight hundred frontline infantry, four hundred men met instant death from the third volley alone.

And then the next surprise came.

In the form of hidden soldiers.

The Uxukhanians had seen only a thousand men in the small hill that the Caladrians had situated themselves on. But what they didn't know was that the Caladrian king had ordered _six hundred men_ to stay hidden in the tall grass between the main Caladrian army and the 100 meter mark.

Then a low thrill of a horn resonated throughout the field.

As one, six hundred heavy infantrymen burst out of the tall grass upon the four hundred frontline soldiers of the Uxukhan army.

Outnumbered, the Uxukhanians tried to flee backward, only to meet fire tall as men in too many places. Those that sought to flee between the fires were shot down by the archers.

But that's when the three thousand manpower of the middle formation of the Uxukhanians came roaring out of the fire, despite having suffered a massive casualty of seven hundred soldiers.

Unfortunately for the Uxukhanians, the six hundred men of the Caladrians had suffered no loss and fallen back early. And when the Uxukhanians were about to charge after them into the tall grass, the Caladrian six hundred rose up as one.

With crossbows in their hands.

Less than seventy-five meters away from them.

The bolts were released and flew true to their targets. Instantly, nearly four hundred men of the Uxukhanians dropped dead.

* * *

"W-What is going on out there?!" King Bartholomeo demanded as he saw his army get demolished.

"Your Majesty, the Caladrians had more than six hundred archers among them!"

Everyone gawked.

That was madness!

Who was to fight in the front when they had such a large number of archers?!

"Caladrian ambush in the front! They had hidden six hundred men in the tall grass!" another messenger shouted as he came riding into the main camp. "General O'veurs estimate casualty of two thousand men!"

Bartholomeo gawked.

A third of his army killed even before they got strike at them?

How?!

"What are our archers doing?!"

"The smoke is obscuring their view, they can't aim! The field was also covered with olive oil! The fire from the explosion is causing everyone in the reserve and the middle formation to catch on fire!"

* * *

King of Caladria grunted in approval of his troops.

"Unleash the Urces."

* * *

_ROOOARRRR_

Bartholomeo froze.

Ah. How could he have forgotten? A crucial history lesson taught to him by his father and his father before him?

'Never underestimate Caladria.'

He watched helpless as Urces, 6 meter tall, green-skinned ogre variants, charge out from around a hill to his army's right, hidden from the main camp and his army's sight.

The urces roared as they charged in their red and white painted armor and 3 meter long giant clubs.

And they crashed into his still-burning reserve.

"...Sound the retreat."

* * *

A high thrill of quick succession from the Uxukhanian main camp sent the invaders in a rout.

But the hail of Caladrian arrows didn't end for those still in the muddy fields, and the fleeing soldiers met their end at the club of the Urces.

The Caladrians and the Urces let out a roar of their cheer as less than a third of the Uxukhanian army left the field alive, forget not being injured.

And they hailed their genius tactician king's name.

"All Hail Lelouch! All Hail Lelouch! All Hail Lelouch vi Britannia, the King of Caladria!"

* * *

**(Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 175:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 70  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Mountain Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+312.5) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 710 (+6.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 625 (+312.5(SGM))  
DEX: 105  
AGI: 133  
END: 172  
INT: 128  
WIS: 122  
CHA: 91  
Unused Points: 26**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +170**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of a Great Mountain (SGM)**

**Focus:  
X**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

**Unique Skills:  
****Berserker (LvL 1)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 1)****  
****Observe (LvL 45) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 28)  
Reinforcement (LvL 3)  
****Sonar (LvL 29)****  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Archery (LvL 14)  
Ambush (LvL 11)  
Baiting (LvL 28)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 18)  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 3)  
Charging (LvL 14)  
Crafting (LvL 14) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 10)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Intimidation (LvL 10)  
Leadership (LvL 10)  
Listening (LvL 16)  
Mapping (LvL 4)  
Negotiation (LvL 8) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Physical Durability (LvL 13)  
Running (LvL 34)  
Teaching (LvL 5)  
Throwing (LvL 20)  
Trapping (LvL 26)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 9)**

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**30 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
20 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
6 Faze (Candy)**(xx)**  
19 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
3 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
15 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
4 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
40 imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
3 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
59 fairies**(x)  
**15 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)

**Imprisoned:  
6 humans (injured)**

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy**  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Na'Malk** \- Na'sh Tribe (tribalPower: 6)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan +1000  
Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Na'sh Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Erlen Shkitfield's Host to Reclaim Southern Carpathi -1000  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +500 (Ally)  
House of Zepolya +800 (Ally)**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Sholva z'Retvoa +80**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Ironwood Hammer (Uncommon)  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Emblem of Land:  
**In this world, there had been many wars. Too many wars for even for the Shinobi Villages. People fought over pettiest of excuses. To bring to an end of the warring age, ten thousand mages got together to implement the Emblem of Land system into the very continent of Granada.

**Urces:**  
A race of green-skinned ogres, members of this race are very humble and simple in their way of life. However, when push comes to shove, they can put their 5~6 meter height and nearly a metric ton of their weight to good pounding. Their tribes are often found in tall deciduous forests and plains.  
They are also member of the minor or major Listed Races in the following countries: Volreek Empire, Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi, Kingdom of Caladria, Dovan'Mor Republic, etc.

**Explosives(!):**  
There are many types of explosives in the world of Granada. The cheapest and the most common method of manufacturing explosive ... is with manure and flour. Magic can be -and is often- used to make explosives as well. Overall, explosives may require a lot of work to obtain, but they have many uses within the world of Granada.

**Background Systems:**  
This is the "powers" or "skills" that run passively. They have no purpose in battle or mundane life. What all of these skills have in common is that these skills alter the "reality" of people around the Gamer -or the Gamer himself- to be slightly more like the Gamer himself. An example of this would be the Class System. It allows the Gamer to "grant" an individual a class should the individual in question meet the criteria. This Class System is not a pick-and-choose system but a skill-based class granting system and requires the player to have certain title(s).

**Player Classification:**  
Players are classified on what they do, how they do, and why they do. Classification is automatically set and cannot be changed by player.  
_Player, Baron, Lord, Vagabond, Serial Killer, Bandit, Demon, King, Emperor, Prostitute, Mercenary,_ and etc.  
Our player is qualified for:  
_Player, Baron, Monster_

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*About Ruto's regeneration... I don't want to just beef that up because his HP rose. So I'll find an excuse to do so [:P] Later.

*New races! So here are some criteria: they have to be land race (sorry, Naga(wow). I love you, but you don't live on land, mountains especially). Demons are not accepted, because this is a monster village, not a demon village. Succubi/Incubi were added because a personal real life friend of mine requested it. It's unlikely they'll be seen a lot.

*Anyway, in this chapter, Ruto shows a bit of his cynical trait of his. I mean, wouldn't you after being invited to another guy's house and he says "let's be butt-buddies!" But Ruto is not a emotional or sentimental guy (completely), and his [Gamer's Mind] -while I do not show it being active here- helps him make more logical choice even if his mind got off to a rough mistrusting start. And any good ruler should be wary of just accepting alliances like that.

***So whatcha guys think about my Omake? Like it, hate it? Want me to continue Lelouch's story? But just for your information, the Kingdom of Caladria is on the other end of the continent that it and the Carpathi Mountains are. Imagine ... Switzerland(Caladria) to Bulgaria(Carpathi), and you have a rough estimation.**


	31. Chapter 31

**I got like 7 requests for the map of the world of Re:Gamer. So I made one.**

**glasshigh . deviantart art/Map-of-Andalusia-590447505**

**The map is before Ruto was born.**

* * *

**Chapter 176:**

Again, my eyes snapped open like they always do, and I sat up.

I scratched the back of my head before a yawn broke out.

And then I noticed something.

"Oh."

My hair had grown.

* * *

It wasn't an overnight stuff. Now that I realized it, my hair had been growing for a while, considering that I had been stuck in my Mountain Troll race evolution for quite some time.

Compared to any other evolutionary stage, I have been in this stage the longest, and the lack of evolutionary change had ... well, brought forth a regular physical change.

Like the hair.

It wasn't a big deal, but my physical change did highlight the fact that I was lacking my usual evolution. At LvL 70, I'd like to think I had reached a evolutionary point to move on, but I had not. Why was that? Was there a requirement that I had not fulfilled?

I wonder...

"Evolution Status."

...

Nope.

"Evolution Progress."

...

Nope.

"Evolution...?"

Ping.

Ah, there it was.

**[Evolution Status Page**  
**Unlocked at LvL 100]**

My jaw dropped.

That was another 30 LvLs away!

I grumbled as I closed the screen.

Guess I have to go back to LvLing...

Or so I want to convince myself so, but I don't think it'll work.

As of right now, I was in an area that lacked high level creatures, monsters, or things to fight. At the same time, there was no intelligence so far as to which way the Shkifield army was heading.

In my two day stay at Pset, Christopher -that's the Duke- warned me about the approaching Shkifield army. His spies had reported two armies marching side by side in one of the valleys. Their exact numbers weren't known, but it was estimated to be around 9,000 troops.

9,000! Duke admitted that he had at most 4,000 troops, and of them, only 2,000 troops were inside the Pset city.

The said valley also was equally distanced from both my city and the capital city, and considering that I had made myself a big name and target by taking out their vanguard, there was an equal chance for them to strike to first my city to remove us from the equation of this war.

With such circumstances around me, it would be very unwise to go out hunting for LvL, especially when I was the chief deterrent for my city if Shkifield decided totarget my city first.

Speaking of which...

I walked out of the fort and into the city. Then with few minutes of brisk jog, I made it out of the city and up to the edge of the Twin Peaks Plateau where Shirou was.

"How are the constructions going?"

He looked over his shoulder at me. "At our current pace, I expect our trebuchets to be finished within today," he said as he jerked his finger to the two siege weapons being built by trolls, onis, and kobolds. There were three others already finished.

"And the Scatter Bomb?"

He jerked his finger to the other direction, where a group of incubi, succubi, and fairies were huddled around several small spheres. "We couldn't find a good replacement for a long term mana condensation, so we had to use our sunstones," he grumbled. "I expect our city to accumulate maybe thirty by the end of today."

I nodded.

While I had been away, Shirou had thought for himself and the city and prepared another defense. With the wall finished, Shirou turned the manpower towards building active defense.

Namely, the rock slinging trebuchets.

Shirou and I had already deduced how many ways our city could be attacked. There were three.

The first was through the Bullywug Swamp Valley.

The second was through another valley passing by the peak in the north.

The third and last avenue was through another valley passing by the Twin Peaks southwest to southeast.

The attack, we concluded, was most likely to be launching from the third avenue, and more specifically, from the southwest. The direction is, after all, where the second army had approached the then-fort.

So to attack from afar and not tire ourselves out before they attack us, Shirou had these trebuchets constructed.

The Scatter Bomb was also his invention. The general concept of it was supposed to be a anti-magic, anti-army weapon. Last time, once again, we had fought against an army with magicians shielding them from Shirou and my attacks, but boulders went through easily. Taking those facts into consideration, Shirou devised a sphere of magic which had mana jammed packed full. While physical force would do little, significant magical force acting upon it would force the sphere to burst -violently.

Yesterday, after I got back, Shirou showed me exactly how powerful the sphere's explosion was.

_Flashback_

_"So how is it supposed to work?" I asked him as I held the sphere in my hand. I tossed it up and down, because Shirou said it was safe._

_As long as magic wasn't added._

_He had led me to an isolated area at the foot of the our mountain by the Bullywug Swamp Valley. The place was cleared of any trees, and only had soft dirt._

_And in the center of that place was a small, round "plate" of a rock._

_"I infused that rock with magic so that it forms a barrier. We can get pass through it no problem, but anything magical will face a slime-like barrier," Shirou said as he led me away from the center of the place. "Through it towards the rock as hard as you can."_

_I stared at him, the sphere, and then the rock. I shrugged and thre-._

_Boom!_

_I jumped back in surprise._

_When the sphere flew and struck what I supposed was the magic barrier, it broke and unleashed enough power to pressurize the local atmosphere, enough to push me back._

_'...Damn, how much damage was that?'_

_Ping!_

_**[Observe: 100 Thermal Damage + 25 Pressure Damage]**_

_I gawked at the display._

_125 damage? Two of those and I'm a goner!_

_Flashback End _

Yeah, it was pretty strong stuff.

So those spheres were to be put into a hole drilled into a boulder, and launched by the trebuchets. If the enemies used magic barrier, the Scatter Bomb would burst within the boulder, and break the entire boulder apart, raining down head-sized rocks on the enemies. If they didn't use any, kudos to them, because they would have a boulder crushing their army instead. And with a good shot, Shirou or I can detonate those spheres with Explosive Arrows.

A simple but good solution against larger armies.

But with only thirty shots per day when everyone was resting and not under siege, I doubted we will be able to make the same amount when we are under siege. Especially when friends and family are dying left and right when an army of 9,000 comes.

I knew that my defenses were weak. I had a decent wall, and due to the surrounding terrain, setting up siege weapons would be pointless to the attackers due to the height disadvantage. Perhaps they can use magical artillery, but I doubted they would be able to fire two or three a day per magician.

"I guess I'll help with the mining then," I said as I stood up and left Shirou and his crew to the defenses.

* * *

I joined Dresa in mining out the mountain under us. We weren't actually hollowing the entire thing out. Rather, we were making little "rooms" and large "hallways" for us to gather materials and move them through. In fact, if we got some ventilation inside, the mined out areas could be habitable. Something to think about as the city grows larger. She still had room up on the plateau, though, so maybe as storage?

I learned from Dresa that most of the minerals that we were digging up were common ores. Iron was not plentiful, but copper and tin was. There were bits of ores that my [Observation] reported as "Polludium."

**[Item: Polludium**  
**Quality: Rare**  
**Polludium grows as a sphere where they are deposited between the rocks. They have a dark red shade that makes them very distinct from other minerals. It can be melted down to produce several alloys.]**

I'll have to get Shirou to test this stuff.

* * *

**Day 178:**

"Say what?"

"This stuff," Shirou grumbled as he twirled a thin rod of pollodium. "Is hacks." He tossed it back onto his workbench. "The stuff basically regenerates itself like some kind of inorganic flesh. Now, it needs energy and matter to do this, so watch." He picked up the rod of pollodium and snapped it in half. Then he allowed the broken to touch each other. He held it there for a few seconds before channeling a bit of his mana through.

And it was repaired.

I raised an eyebrow.

"And at the same time, if I saturate this with enough mana..."

The rod of pollodium glowed a little with mana as it became filled with mana and then ...

"Holy shit."

I watched in awe as the very _space _around the rod began to condense.

Shirou abruptly ended his flow. "It's not safe to hold it when it activates that ... traits of its. But from what little I was able to determine, when supplied with enough mana, pollodium expands space around it. The amount of mana required exponentially increases as more and more 'volume' of space is affected, but for people like us, can probably engulf this entire room and still be fine mana reserve-wise. Our organs are unlikely to be fine, though."

He then pulled mana away from the pollodium with a leeching ability. I didn't know he had it.

Soon, the dim glow surrounding the pollodium rod disappeared. Then the space contracted.

"Kind of a bullshit," Shirou grumbled.

I stared at the pollodium for a second, then an idea snapped into my head.

I thanked Shirou, took the pollodium rod, and ran over to the smithy.

There, I got a hammer and a pair of tongs before I got to work.

First, I heated the pollodium until it gave off a blue glow. I pulled it out of the furnace with the tongs, placed it on the anvil, and beat away.

The idea that popped into my head was brilliant!

Pollodium could expand and contract space depending on how mana interacted with it.

If I were to add it to my warhammer, what would it be like?

Ping!

**[Your intelligent design increased your INT by 1!]**

How nice.

Back to smithing.

I pounded away at the pollodium until it became a thin, round disk.

I set it away and got out my warhammer.

I popped the hammer's head off and tossed it into the furnace.

There, I watched as it began to glow and lose its consistency.

I quickly pulled it out of the furnace with the pair of tongs and set it on the anvil. I began pounding away once more, reforming its previous shape with one exception.

On one end of head, I shoved a thin plate of wood -we had plenty of them- just as thin as the pollodium disk from the side.

Once the hammer cooled down, I burned the wood away and sanded the "slot" within the warhammer. Once it was smooth enough, I inserted the disc into the warhammer and sealed the entrance with hot liquid iron.

Once the warhammer cooled down completely, I grabbed the warhammer and ran out of the city.

At the outskirt of it, I found a huge boulder.

You gotta love boulders. They had so many uses.

I readied the warhammer and poured mana through it as I swung.

The result was spectacular.

Space expanded behind the warhammer as I swung, and it boosted my swinging force. What would have been a crack making swing pushed the boulder away with a crater adorning where I struck.

Ping! Ping!

**[Pollodium-Enhanced Ironwood Warhammer Recipe created! **  
**Recipe:**  
**10 ingots of steel**  
**2 log of Ironwood**  
**1 ingot of pollodium**  
**10 hours of work]**

**[New Skill learned!]**

**[Crushing Blow (LvL 1) Cost: 10 mana per strike  
Let none stand in your way  
Effect: +100% Physical Damage  
Effect: 50% of total Physical Damage ignores Armor]**

Ping!

**LvL Up!**  
**+3 INT**  
**+2 WIS**

'Today was a good day,' I thought as I let out a laugh.

* * *

**Day 179:**

Today, I decided that my focus should be on my people.

Specifically, their armor and arms.

Or the lack thereof.

Most of my fighters wore only leather armor. Only few tanks like Iskan wore heavy steel armor.

Trolls, I also realized, were physically stronger than the average human, even including their guards and soldiers. With that in mind, I began to make armors and arms for them.

**[Ironwood Steel Chestplate**  
**Effect: -25 Physical Damage taken in that area**  
**Effect: 20% chance of negating piercing strike**  
**Effect: -10% Speed if STR and END and END are less than 100**

**Weight: 8 kilograms]**

**[Ironwood Steel Helmet**  
**Effect: -10 Physical Damage taken in that area**  
**Effect: 20% chance of negating piercing strike**  
**Effect: -5% Speed if STR and END are less than 100**  
**Weight: 3 kilograms]**

**[Ironwood Steel Greaves**  
**Effect: -20 Physical Damage taken in that area**  
**Effect: 50% chance of negating piercing strike**  
**Effect: -5% Speed if STR and END and END are less than 100**

**Weight: 4 kilograms]**

**[Ironwood Steel Spear**  
**Effect: +30 Physical Damage**  
**Effect: +1.5 meter Attack Range**  
**Weight: 6 kilograms]**

**[Ironwood Steel Saber**  
**Effect: +30 Physical Damage**  
**Effect: +20% chance of critically striking against unarmored target]**

**[Ironwood Tower Shield  
Size: 1.3 meter by 0.4 meter**  
**Effect: -150 Physical Damage taken in that area**  
**Effect: 60% chance of negating piercing strike**  
**Effect: -20% Speed if STR and END are less than 140]**

I designed all these with the average troll, kobold, and oni in mind. I would have to make something else for the fairykin, Faze-kin, and the devilkin.

Of course, this meant that I will have to train them all up on their STR and END, especially if they were to use the tower shields.

* * *

**Day 183:**

"C-chief!"

I looked up from my breakfast. "What?" I asked of the frantic troll.

"Na'sh tribe was attacked by the humans! They carried the Shkifield flag!"

My breakfast forgotten, I stood up.

"How many enemies?" I asked him as I made my way out of the public hall towards the training grounds.

"Maybe thirty? Forty? The tribe is asking for your help. They don't know how long they can hold out."

I nodded. "Go. Send a fairy to deliver the message that I am coming."

"Yes, chief!"

I then arrived at the training ground. "Sou and Ran! We have humans to kill!"

Those two were the fastest, so I will be taking them only.

"Aye, Ruto!" Sou grunted before he put on his leather armor and carried his quiver of arrows and bow. Ran did the same.

"And someone tell Candy to come to the front gate ASAP!"

* * *

**\- SF&amp;DS Co. -**

* * *

**Omake:**

My name is Christopher Zepolya, or Christopher the III of the Transyl-Carpathi Duchy.

My dynasty, the House of Zepolya, have at the head of this duchy for the last four hundred years... Or so. I was never good at history.

I am doing my best to uphold my family's duty and responsibility to the duchy and its people just as they uphold their duties to me and my family.

I took over the reign of this dynasty at the age of 7 after my grandfather passed away. My father had been killed in a war even before that. My mother was taken from the family after giving birth to my youngest brother.

The Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi has never been a prosperous nation. It had been a peaceful nation but never truly prosperous like the Suh dynasty in the far west or the Volreek Empire in the north.

People here were fine with it, though. Their development and innovation was slow due to lack of resources, but at least it was advancing. I poured a lot of the family gold into just that.

And then ... my cousin goes and declares war on me.

I was shocked at first.

Shkifield -when I last met him- was a busy man keeping to his small barony in the Kingdom of Moldova.

When had he gathered so much men? When had he gathered the _gold_? When did he get the support of the Galburian king?

But most of all, why would he declare war on _family_?

Everyone was sad. Grandmother, my siblings, my uncles and aunts.

And then a salvation came.

A _troll_, of all races, beat that the Shkifield vanguard with 5 to 1 disadvantage.

I sought him out and he came.

We formed an alliance, and now I watched him leave.

Perhaps with this, my family and people can make it through this war without having to plunge the Duchy into chaos.

I can hope.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 183:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 71  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Mountain Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+312.5) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 710 (+6.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 625 (+312.5(SGM))  
DEX: 105  
AGI: 133  
END: 172  
INT: 132  
WIS: 124  
CHA: 91  
Unused Points: 31**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +170**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of a Great Mountain (SGM)**

**Focus:  
X**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

**Unique Skills:  
****Berserker (LvL 1)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 1)****  
****Observe (LvL 45) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 28)  
Reinforcement (LvL 3)  
****Sonar (LvL 29)****  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Archery (LvL 16)  
Ambush (LvL 11)  
Baiting (LvL 28)  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 8)  
Charging (LvL 15)  
Crafting (LvL 16) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 11)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 5)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Intimidation (LvL 11)  
Leadership (LvL 15)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 5)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Physical Durability (LvL 15)  
Running (LvL 35)  
Teaching (LvL 7)  
Throwing (LvL 22)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 11)**

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**39 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
23 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
7 Faze (Candy)**(xx)**  
18 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
6 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
19 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
4 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
41 imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
3 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
63 fairies**(x)  
**16 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)

**Imprisoned:  
6 humans**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 200**  
cityPower**: 9

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy**  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Na'Malk** \- Na'sh Tribe (tribalPower: 6)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (cityPower: 9)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Na'sh Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Erlen Shkitfield's Host to Reclaim Southern Carpathi -1000  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +500 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +800 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -1000 (At War) **(nationalPower: 30)**  
**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Pollodium-Enhanced Ironwood Hammer (Rare)  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Power conversions:**

**Non-specific Power calculations for non-Gamers:**  
HighestStat + Power + HP + Mana

individualPower(indyPower) 1000 = tribal/cityPower 1  
tribal/cityPower 50 = regionalPower 1  
regionalPower 100 = nationalPower 1  
nationalPower 100 = imperialPower 1

An average army of Andalusia composed of 1,000 soldiers count as 1 regionalPower.

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*I got all of your race requests, but do keep sending them in. I will not announce what race will appear at once, but rather I will be introducing them bit by bit into the city as the city grows.


	32. Chapter 32

**So ... Endless Legends, which I had for the last few years, has become my new favorite game. Seriously, it's better than Civ 5.**

* * *

**WARNING:**

**And this chapter is a bit ... brutal. I tried in this chapter to portray the best fitting image of a medieval warfare and how looting and pillaging happened.**

* * *

**Day 183(continued):  
**

Na'sh Tribe.

Mostly composed of draenei, a blue skinned hairless, goat-legged humans with a hairless and scaleless reptilian tail, they were one of the few tribes whose members fit into the Minor Listed races of the duchy yet did not live in cities. Their proximity to the bullywugs and the recent declaration of war, had forced them to come to me for protection. Also, due to their racial traits, they were healers and scholars rather than fighters and soldiers.

When Na'Melk, the tribal chief of the Na'sh, came to see me, he offered himself as my vassal in exchange for protection and fair rule. I agreed. I would provide him and his tribe protection, and in return, they would give me herbal medicine and drumroots that my fairies found it hard to grow.

They had come to for protection a month ago, and I agreed. They became my vassal and I their lord.

It was my duty to protect my vassal.

We arrived at Na'sh tribe's location less than two hours after we left our city.

The tribal village was similar to a bullywug village with its wooden huts and wooden fences. However, the people burning within it weren't.

They were my vassal.

Ping!

**[New Quest!]**

**[Quest: Drive out the Invaders!**

**Requirement:**  
**-All invading soldiers must be killed or driven off**  
**-More than half of the villagers must survive**

**Reward:**  
**-Loot**  
**-Special Loot****  
\- ?]**

"I was going to save them anyways," I grumbled as I dismissed the alert. "Ran, Sou. Start taking out the soldiers outside the village!" I shouted as I ran ahead with my warhammer drawn.

I jumped off rocks and trees, zipping past obstacles by an eagle before I was upon the village gates. Alert Shkifield soldiers recognized me and began shouting for reinforcements.

I swung my hammer with [Crushing Blow].

The closest soldier took the blow with his round shield, but the force of the blow was too much. My hammer shattered the iron shield, continued on to strike his chestplate, shattered that as well, and cratered his ribcage.

**Shield Broken!****  
Armor Broken!**  
**Critical Hit: 331 Physical Damage!**

'Yup. There's no getting up from that,' I thought as I watched the human soldier fly away like a ragdoll from the force of my blow.

I twisted my hammer the moment I confirmed the kill and struck out again with [Crushing Blow].

**Shield Broken!**  
**Armor Broken!**  
**165 Physical Damage!**

The soldier, a tauren this time, gasp for breathe and in pain. He dropped to his needs coughing up blood.

I spared him no mercy as I lifted my hammer up and smashed down upon his head. The blow broke through his helmet and crushed the man's skull.

**Critical Hit: 450 Physical Damage!**

I hefted my warhammer back up and ran into the village.

Then I saw something horrifying.

I saw two soldiers _raping _one of the draenei with another being held down to the side, being forced to watch.

The familiar red bloodlust took over my vision.

Ping!

**[Temper Broken!]**  
**[[Berserker] activated!]**

I didn't hesitate. I threw the warhammer at the one pounding into the adolescent draenei and jumped at the other. They were in too much bliss or too entertained too notice me. The rapist had his entire chest and head struck off by the force of the warhammer striking him, and the one enjoying the despair of the draenei he was holding down only saw my fist coming for his face half a second before it struck.

With that single punch, the soldier's head ripped from his neck.

I conjured a cloak and tossed it to the girl.

I walked over to my warhammer and looked around.

While I had killed four Shkifield soldiers, Ran and Sou had been more diligent; I saw twenty dead so far.

I turned to the man. "Where are the other soldiers?" I asked him as I hefted my bloodied warhammer over my right shoulder.

"T-They're at the west g-gate of the village," he stuttered. I nodded to him before rushing towards there with [Reinforced] legs.

I caught sight of three soldiers who were heading towards where I had just left, and quickly dispatched them with a single swing catching all three of them.

I stomped on their heads for good measure.

Then I saw it.

The main pillaging force of the Shkifield soldiers. They were engaged with what little remained of the fighters of the Na'sh tribe.

There were about twenty five or so of them, and they all caught sight of me. They drew their arms up.

"Come here, you sons of bitches," I growled as projected a shield on my left arm. "Come get what's due!"

Of the twenty-five, nine split from the main group and charged me with a battle cry.

I scoffed, even in my bloodlust.

I roared right back.

The ones in the front froze in fear while the rest hesitated.

'Idiots,' I thought as I jumped them with my warhammer pulled back.

This time, I activated both [Crushing Blow] and [Reinforcement] together.

The soldier who took the blow with his shield was splattered like grounded up meat while the hammer continued on to meet the second shield. The shield shattered, armor shattered, and the body broke. It didn't stop there. Another shield broke under my unrelenting strike, another armor, and another body.

**Total Damage: 1,515 Physical Damage!**

I didn't stop there. As soon as I made a full swing, I twisted my warhammer so that the pollodium disk faced away from the soldiers and swung again.

The swing took out another three soldiers in the bloody manner the previous three had been taken out.

I caught a torn head of one of the soldiers and threw it at a terrified man. It struck him and knocked him out.

Then the arrows of Ran and Sou came flying in, killing three.

Of the nine that attacked me, none were left three seconds after I struck back.

Without thinking, I charged into the ranks of the remaining pillagers. One of them got lucky and struck my chest with his sword. It embedded into my muscles but didn't penetrate them.

I growled, grabbed his head, and crushed it like watermelon.

The moment I was inside their ranks, I let loose. I grabbed my warhammer with both hands, poured mana into it and my arms, and spun!

**90 Physical Damage!**  
**231 Physical Damage!**  
**364 Physical Damage!**  
**600 Physical Damage!**  
**916 Physical Damage, Critical Strike!**  
**1,099 Physical Damage!**  
**1,524 Physical Damage, Critical Strike!**  
**1,900 Physical Damage, Double Donk, Critical Strike!**  
**2,195 Physical Damage!**

**Total Damage: 2,195 Physical Damage**

When I stopped spinning, fifteen lay dead before me and nine of them had their armor shattered.

I looked about and saw the defenders and the pillagers staring at me in awe and terror.

And one of the pillagers had the gall to shoot me with his arrow.

I grabbed the arrow mid-flight and snapped it.

The archer promptly pissed himself, shat himself, and fainted.

I scoffed as my [Berserker] died down. I noted that I had taken 90 damage. Not too bad, considering that I had taken only one hit from the one-sided massacre I was dishing out.

Then I set my warhammer down and sighed. "Chief Ruto," I said as I nodded to the defender. "Your chief made this tribe a vassal of mine and I came to protect. Are there anymore attackers?" I asked urgently.

They shook their head. "No, this was all of them. So you actually came to help us? So fast?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Of course, I did. Why else would I even call you my vassals. I protect you, you help me."

It was now that I realized how poorly equipped the Na'sh tribal fighters were.

The draenei had only rusted steel swords, planks held as shields with a strap of stretched and thin leather to hold on to, and leather "vests."

God. No wonder they were asking for help.

"But I'm afraid you and the tribe can't stay here any longer," I told him. "There is an army heading in this direction, and they won't hesitate you finish you off."

"T-Then where will we go?" one of them asked me. I remembered this draenei. He was the son of Na'Melk...

"Na'Deri'in. It's good to see that you're alive," I said as I took his arm in my own in a armshake. "Your father... ?"

He shook his head. "He was one of the first to go out to repel the pillagers, but he was ambushed."

I grimaced. "He was a good man," I told him. "But what I said before is true. You cannot stay here any longer."

He nodded even if he was stricken with grief. He turned to the others and ordered them to find other survivors.

* * *

I wanted to find Shkifield and crush his skull.

Na'Melk told be that his tribe was 49 strong.

I saw only 26 before me.

"We will have to move back to my city. You will be safe there until this war is over," I told them as Ran and Sou joined me. "But you will have to earn your keep. You can help the fairies in the garden, kobolds in the mines, trolls and onis in other labor, or you can help me defend the city from others. Staying here is not an option for you, not unless you want to become prey to the invading Shkifield army, the very same that sent those pillagers to your village."

"Why should we follow you?! For all we know you could be in league with them!" a particularly young draenei fighter growled. Na'Deri'in tried to shut him up, but I let the "boy" speak.

"Your former chief, and now your current chief, have declared their own and their tribe's allegiance to me. You wish to dishonor their vows?" I demanded to know in return with a growl of my own with [Intimidation] active.

The boy attempted to continue his protest before he submitted.

"I don't intend to enslave you or force you to do anything," I added. "But your survival and protection is my duty, and I will do what must be done to see you safe. You can find yourself a new place to live after the war, but not now. Let's get moving!"

Ping!

**LvL Up!  
****+5 STR  
****+1 END**

**LvL Up!  
****+2 INT  
****+4 CHA**

**[New Skill learned!]**

**[Persuasion (LvL 1)**  
**Sometimes, you need to be convincing ... however it may be.**  
**Effect: +1% target will be convinced]**

In the face of such death behind me, those skills and LvLs were bitter victories.

* * *

**Day 184:**

Thankfully, there were no more attacks on other tribes.

When we returned with what remained of the Na'sh tribe, my city greeted them with open arms and sympathetic heart. Na'sh were just one of the many who were wronged, and especially, the trolls and onis felt a kinship for the hardship they experienced. After all, it hadn't been more than a few months since our city -then fort- had been besieged and more than a few had died.

They were doing better now, and I gave them a few days off to mourn for their dead.

At the same time, I kept my fairy scouts on high alert lookout. They were to report anything odd they find.

Hopefully, the city and I will get a few more weeks before that damn Shikifield gets here or Pset.

Then... we'll be ready for them.

Aside from that, I did complete the quest that I received upon seeing the former Na'sh village. The "special loot" that I got from completing the quest was ...

A bug.

Seriously, a bug. It was small, had two pairs of wings, stripped green and black, and had an abdomen that stretched out like that of the dragonfly.

Admittedly, I was confused. A bug was the reward of a quest this big? So I used my [Observation] on it.

**[Pixie Bee**  
**Quality: Uncommon**  
**Often found in the plains of the Udungat Islets, these asexual critters are known for their black-colored honey and its blood. The Black Honey is considered a highly prized delicacy while its blood can be used to temper steel into "Ardulan Steel."]**

So I got Shirou to help me make a "home" for the Pixie Bee and let it get to work.

And I found out that there were now seven of them.

I received only one of them from the quest reward.

They didn't have much of the Black Honey made, but they did leave behind a whole lot of green dust laying about where I had left them outside.

I picked some up.

"[Observe]," I said.

**[Pixie Bee Blood Dust**  
**Quality: Uncommon**  
**Mix with water to make Pixie Bee Blood. Harmless when inhaled. Direct ingestion has mild sedative effects  
Effect: +10 - END*0.01 minutes of Numbness]**

... These guys bleed all over the place?!

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 183:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 73  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Mountain Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+315.5) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 710 (+6.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 631(+315.5 (SGM))  
DEX: 105  
AGI: 133  
END: 173  
INT: 134  
WIS: 130  
CHA: 91  
Unused Points: 43**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +170**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of a Great Mountain (SGM)**

**Focus:  
X**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 2)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 1)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 45) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 28)  
Reinforcement (LvL 3)  
****Sonar (LvL 29)****  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Archery (LvL 16)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 11)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 28)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 8)**x**  
Charging (LvL 15)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 16) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 11)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 5)**x**  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Intimidation (LvL 11)  
Leadership (LvL 15)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 5)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 1)  
Physical Durability (LvL 15)  
Running (LvL 35)  
Teaching (LvL 7)  
Throwing (LvL 22)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 11)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**39 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
23 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
7 Faze (Candy)**(xx)**  
18 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
6 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
19 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
4 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
41 imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
3 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
63 fairies**(x)  
**16 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**26 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (Race, no evolution)

**Imprisoned:  
6 humans**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 200**  
cityPower**: 12

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (cityPower: 9)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Erlen Shkitfield's Host to Reclaim Southern Carpathi -1000  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +500 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +800 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -1000 (At War) **(nationalPower: 30)**  
**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Pollodium-Enhanced Ironwood Hammer (Rare)  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Power conversions:**

**Non-specific Power calculations for non-Gamers:**  
HighestStat + Power + HP + Mana

individualPower(indyPower) 1000 = tribal/cityPower 1  
tribal/cityPower 50 = regionalPower 1  
regionalPower 100 = nationalPower 1  
nationalPower 100 = imperialPower 1

An average army of Andalusia composed of 1,000 soldiers count as 1 regionalPower.

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

***First Guy**, thank you for the idea. Will be sure to use i

*Chapter length will stay beneath 5,000 words to keep up with weekly production rate. Also, this allows me to keep up with my imagination and flow of my writing speed and style, allowing me to keep muse away.

*Combat-only skills have been marked with x.

*Dryads do live within the Ironwood City, but aside from helping with construction and food production, their appearance is negligible at best.

***wolfsrun**, thanks to pointing it out. Number of Na'sh tribespeople rescued changed from 23 to 26.


	33. Chapter 33

**Look guys. Yall are smart, right?**

**You don't need me to point out every single perspective change, right?! **

* * *

**Day 190:**

With an impending battle, I trained myself on my existing skills and new skills with a new vigor. The Rape of Na'sh, as my people were calling it, was a catalyst for many of my warriors to toughen themselves up. Those who had whined about the arduous strength and endurance exercises sewed their own mouths shut, figuratively, and the miners put more hours into extracting much needed materials.

In the past week, Shirou and his corp of engineers finished building ten trebuchets, 5 hwacha, and 4 ballistas.

All of them were new to me, so I asked Shirou for explanation.

"Trebuchets use potential energy and centripetal force..."

I didn't understand anything after that.

"Hwacha means fire cart. It's a medieval rocket launcher. It combines saltpeter for the explosive thrust to launch fifty arrows at once."

What's saltpeter?

"And our ballistas here are just big crossbows..."

Whew, something easy to remember.

Again, what's a saltpeter?

I later found out, which was about three days ago, that one of our adventurous miners had found deposits of what Shirou called saltpeter in small caves littering the Bullywug Swamp Valley. Saltpeter, Shirou explained to me, was a substance used to make bombs. Using saltpeter and a few pebbles of iron, he created (he insisted that it was a recreation) of rocket arrows. Unfortunately, the rocket arrows don't explode as they use the burning saltpeter as a propellant. As a result, it flies much farther than any regular arrows.

In a demonstration, Shirou loaded up one of the carts, the hwacha, with the rocket arrows, and lit them all on fire simultaneously.

It took less than a second before the arrows flew out of the honeycomb structure of the loading pen by the dozens. The target at the end of the field literally became a porcupine.

It was a brilliant invention.

As for myself, I worked on [Physical Durability]. In the Rape of Na'sh, I had been stabbed once and HP dropped by 90. It was unlikely that I will survive without armor in a battle. I had my own armor set made, of course, but I wanted to ensure my survival. So far, I had done well, and my [Physical Durability] was LvL 34.

I also worked on improving my combat skills. As of right now, my average damage output from a regular strike of my warhammer was 143 Physical Damage. The output was before armor reduction was put into place. With [Crushing Blow], it was 310. A regular strike was a killing blow for any regular soldier or warrior, but my [Crushing Blow] killed armored knights, I assumed.

It was pretty devastating attack skill.

And its level wasn't even LvL 10 skill.

I shuddered how much damage I could dish out per second once rest of my skills caught up to my own level.

Monstrous, I tell you.

There were several other skills that I have invested in. Like...

Shirou insisted that I learn something else aside from [Projection] and [Reinforcement] as supplement to my style. I tried to argue that it'll be better for me to invest in fewer skills, but in the end, he won out. Once he won the argument, I reasoned with myself that there were sure to be spells that Shirou could teach me that I could use for things other than combat.

So I learned a _single _spell.

[Fireball].

And what did I do with it?

Help myself with the heating of metals and melting ores in the smithy, burn the fire in the city's bonfire, cooking with it...

Everything aside from combat.

Ha! Take that Shirou!

* * *

**Day 195:**

I nodded with a grim frown as the fairy stuttered.

I sent the fairy away to rest and called the small chiefs together.

Once everyone had gathered, I spilled the beans.

"Shkifield has split his troops. He is sending over two thousand soldiers to fight us."

There were murmurs among my small chiefs.

"I want to take the fight to them."

There were now clamors of chairs being pushed back harshly and people standing from my shocking statement.

Shirou, surprisingly, remained calm. "It would be ideal for us to strike at them if they do not see us coming. We can also lay out a lot of traps. I suppose this is what you are suggesting? A guerrilla warfare until they come to our city's doorsteps?" he asked.

I nodded. "We knows these valleys and mountains, and this splinter army is coming only by the bottom of the valley. That is a lot of area they are not covering and looking."

"What if they have magicians specifically for lookout?"

I frowned. "There were no reports of such magicians. In fact, there were only a dozen magician, according to Shelby." Shelby is the fairy who reported. "But as you said, we don't know their capabilities," I conceded. "What do you suggest?"

"Instead of engaging in hit-and-run tactic when they are on the move, I suggest that we strike them when they are sleeping."

"That is not honorable!" Iskan immediately objected.

While it was not a bad thing, my warriors, especially those who had taken to Iskan's teachings, have come to value honor and integrity highly. It was a good thing, but ...

"There is no honor in war, Iskan," Shirou snapped out harshly. "Would you rather fight two thousand soldiers with our measly hundred with our city on the line?"

"And you would throw away your honor so easily, Small Chief Shirou?" Iskan countered.

"If I get to keep this clan and city safe, then my honor was long gone."

I sighed.

It was something I had seen coming from a mile away.

Shirou, our beloved smith, inventor, and mage, was a tad bit too pragmatic. He stepped on others' pride more often than not.

Iskan, my strongest -out of Shirou and myself- warrior, was a bit too honorable. He had also formed a group of warriors he called "Ironwood Highland Warriors."

Perhaps all of this factionalism was getting out of hand.

"...Iskan," I began after a moment. "I understand where you are coming just as I understand where Shirou is coming from. It is for that reason that I won't ask your followers to participate in any of the guerrilla fights. But instead, I will expect more out of you and your warriors when the battle takes place in front of our city. Is that understood?"

He saluted. "Yes, sir." He glared at Shirou.

I nodded in understanding. "Good." I miss Yan. "Shirou, assemble capable men for this operation."

"How many do you want?" he asked in return.

"Five, maybe six good archers. I have some plans in mind, and archers will be really good for that."

* * *

**Day 196(night):**

**Or as the Listed race call it,  
1,053 Scanthu**

Carlos de Rolastein had signed up with Shkifield in his crusade to take the Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi from his cousin because he believed that there will be glorious battles and loots for him to take. This war was supposed to be something that would make him rich.

But instead, he had been assigned to be a night guard.

He sighed.

When the past few pillage calls had been made by the generals, Carlos had been hoping that he would get picked. Unfortunately, he had been looked over for more speedier and hardier soldiers. His luck was really bad.

But a rumor had been circulating in the army.

None of the pillagers had returned. No hair nor limb of theirs had been seen, never mind whatever loot they had.

Did they desert the army and made off with the richest of the Carpathi?

No one knew, but the generals were very contemplative.

Carlos froze as the wolves of the region let out a howl.

He shuddered.

In his own internal musing, Carlos, unfortunately, did not notice the sound of the rustling bushes.

Nor did he realize that he had a dagger rushing in from the side.

It took less than a second for Carlos the Adventurer to die from the slit throat and the severed spinal cord.

* * *

Shirou dragged the body back into the bushes he and few others had been hiding in. He covered the blood spilled with the dirt and moved on.

While Shirou led few ambushers around the edge of the camp, I had a different idea.

Any army over a certain size needed to carry their provision or have them be provided by supply line.

My strategy?

Burn those grains.

I admit, I didn't think [Fireball] would come to use in a place like this.

Now, I could just throw Fireballs are Fireballs, but I didn't think for a second that it would be effective.

"But burning logs?" I asked himself as I lit several chopped wood around me on fire.

It was going to hurt.

"There is no way these _won't _be."

Ignoring the fire and their -3 Thermal Damage per second ticking, I grabbed the flaming logs and threw them... Right at their grain storages.

And then ran away.

I watched in glee as the invaders came out of their tents barely wake to see their food on fire. Hastily, magicians were put to putting out the fire.

'Not that I was going to let them continue,' I thought to myself as I projected my Exploding Arrows and bow, and let the arrows loose. Magicians exploded like watermelon as my Exploding Arrows struck them one by one, but by the time I killed four, the rest of the soldiers had noticed me.

"Time to get out of here," I cackled before disappearing into the valley's forests, firing arrows as I went. It wasn't like my arrows glowed in the dark.

* * *

**Day 197:**

I cackled as the Shkifield army made slow march across the valley. I had not doubt that most of the soldiers down there were hungry.

And could they run if they were hungry?

I certainly didn't think so.

I nodded to Shirou and his rangers, as they were calling themselves.

They all nooked their arrows and with the silent downward slash of Shirou arm, they fired.

...

Did I mention that I had ... a lot of Scatter Bombs laid out on the valley those soldiers were passing through while they were running around like chickens in the morning after our raid?

_**BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!**_

"You thought you could just come and kill us did ya?!" I cackled.

Once all of the Scatter Bombs were blown, I ordered a retreat.

I could get used to this guerrilla tactic. It was certainly better than charging up to an army outnumbered.

* * *

**Day 196-197 Casualty Count:**

**Ironwood City - 0 warriors**

**Shkifield Army(Ironwood City bound) - 219 soldiers  
44 in the night raid  
175 in D197 ambush**

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 197:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 78  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Mountain Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+318) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 710 (+6.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 636(+318 (SGM))  
DEX: 115  
AGI: 133  
END: 173  
INT: 140  
WIS: 136  
CHA: 91  
Unused Points: 72**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +210**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of a Great Mountain (SGM)**

**Focus:  
X**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 2)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 48) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 31)  
Reinforcement (LvL 5)  
****Sonar (LvL 30)**

**Basic Skills:  
Archery (LvL 19)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 11)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 28)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 8)**x**  
Charging (LvL 15)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 16) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 11)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 7)**x  
**Fireball (LvL 3)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Intimidation (LvL 11)  
Leadership (LvL 15)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 5)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 1)  
Physical Durability (LvL 34)  
Running (LvL 35)  
Teaching (LvL 7)  
Throwing (LvL 22)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 11)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**39 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
23 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
7 Faze (Candy)**(xx)**  
18 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
6 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
19 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
4 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
41 imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
3 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
63 fairies**(x)  
**16 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**23 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (Race, no evolution)

**Imprisoned:  
6 humans**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 200**  
cityPower**: 12

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (cityPower: 9)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Erlen Shkitfield's Host to Reclaim Southern Carpathi -1000  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +500 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +800 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -1000 (At War) **(nationalPower: 30)**  
**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Pollodium-Enhanced Ironwood Hammer (Rare)  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*I noticed that Ruto's defining personality traits are now Wroth, Ambition, Genius, and Cynical.

*As for the barony to duchy relationship, it is more of an alliance than anything. Christopher knows that Ruto is too big and strong to be removed, not that he wants to. At the same time, Ruto has no allegiance to other lords out there. What Christopher did is earning Ruto's alliance by giving him a legal ownership of the barony. There are details they filled out, but I doubt you want to know those.


	34. Chapter 34

**Day 198:**

When we arrived back in our city, we rested for twelve hours, most of which was spent sleeping and eating. But during that time, the Rangers told of their exploits out in the field. how they were able to strike and set off bombs a kilometer away with arrows given to them by me and Shirou.

Once the time was up, we headed back out, but this time, there were more archers who joined us. Candy joined us as well along with four other Fazes who learned her "Devourer's Dance." Shirou, on the other hand, decided that it was best if he did not join them this time; there were still preparations to be completed and he wanted to personally see them finished. I agreed as I trusted none other than Shirou when it came to engineering.

Our ambush, this time, was once again a night raid. Although we had done well in the past two days in shaving their numbers down, the Shkifield army still held about a thousand eight hundred soldiers. That was still way too much for our city to take on during a siege.

'It's a shame I can't store "constructs" in my inventory,' I thought, thinking about the hwacha and the trebuchets. 'If I could carry one or two hwachas with me, I could probably kill more of them each time.'

The army in question was also less than three days from our city. We had a lot of work to do.

* * *

**Day 202(night):**

Count Bojeneu von Lo'Tenska wanted to scream. He wanted to take a sword and chop something up. He wanted to _kill._ But why?

Because he had been raided... again. And this time, they took more of his men than before.

In the past four days, his army of two thousand had been raided at night, ambushed with magic at day, and starved throughout. None of his soldiers had caught sight of the enemy, and those who probably did were dead (the night guards). Of the two thousand he had been entrusted with, more than five hundred had died.

He had been tasked with eliminating a monster clan that supposedly wiped out five hundred or so of the vanguard.

When he heard those news, he had volunteered. If an army of five hundred had been eliminated, then the opposition must have an army larger than that right?

But he wasn't dumb like the vanguard. His liege was to attack the valleys of the Carpathi. What use did cavalry had in the valleys where there was no field for them to charge to the enemy. He bet with the other lords that this was the reason why the vanguard had been defeated, there were many cavalry and knights among them and lacked solely in the numbers of archers and infantry.

With such reasoning, he had asked for two thousand troops, mostly infantry and archers along with few magicians.

Now...?

All of his magicians were dead.

All of his soldiers lacked the strength to fight after their food storage had been burnt.

They could no longer advance until the food supply got to them.

It was a disaster, and he was the one in charge.

And he had still not seen a single _speck _of his enemies.

What. The. Fuck!

He had to do something about this! At least about the food, he was starving!

"... Get me Lord Tyler," he called out to one of the guards.

"Yes, sir."

* * *

I raised an eyebrow.

The Shkifield army had less night guards. 'Don't they learn?' I thought. 'We've been raiding them hard in the night for the past three days.

In the past few days, our guerrilla fighters had struck at the Shkifield soldiers hard without rest during day and night. Scatter Bombs were lain and blown up on the valley during the day, guards and stores were burned at night, and arrows found their mark at random times with random numbers.

Whenever they set up camp, we threw few Scatter Bombs in their pure sunstone form and blew them up.

Candy's Devourers infiltrated tents in the night and left no living soldier when they left.

The Shkifield commanders and soldiers, I guessed, was paranoid, hungry, and tired.

At the rate that we were killing them off, it would be no less than another two weeks before the army died or it left.

"Chief," Candy said as she "materialized" from the shadows. She really didn't; it just looked like she did. Due to her black leather armor and her natural night sky dark skin, she and her kind were the perfect infiltrators and silent observers. It was thanks to her that I was able to learn where the invaders were heading next, which then allowed me to set up the Scatter Bombs before their arrival.

"Yes, Candy?" I asked her.

"A sizable portion of the enemy has split off from the main army. There were about fifty fighters."

"Where are they headed?"

"They were dressed lightly and carried multiple sacks. I assume they were either foragers or pillagers."

I frowned. Either way, they had to be eliminated.

"And how many?"

"Fifty."

... The warriors and I could take on fifty. There were twenty of us.

"Alright. Let's take them down."

She nodded and called for the other rangers and warriors to get ready for skirmish.

* * *

When we found them, they were indeed foraging. There were five who were on guard and the rest were on their knees, picking out roots, berries, and fruits from the trees and plants.

I smirked. I had done them enough damage to their supply that they were willing to risk a foragers in enemy territory.

Well, sucks to be them.

I gestured silently with my hands for the rangers and warriors to encircle the clearing that the foragers were working on. They did so, and once I saw them surrounding the entire place, I charged first with a roar.

The foragers looked stunned by my appearance and then at my fast speed. I was more than fifteen meters one second, and then I was upon then two seconds later.

My warhammer struck the first blood out of the poor forager in front of me, and made a harsh gesture for the others to attack.

I didn't hold back and pounded into the enemy ranks. With every single swing of my warhammer, one of them died and by the time I had personally killed twenty-three, the rest were killed by my warriors. This was not without my own casualties, though, because in a stroke of bad luck, five of my own warriors had been killed, two trolls and three oni.

I grimaced and pulled their body into my inventory. "We'll give them burial once we get back," I told them. "They will not rot in there."

"GET THEM!"

I pulled up, shocked. I looked around and saw -!

I hastily [Reinforced] myself just before an arrow struck me in the left chest, directly above my heart. Thankfully, my hardened skin bounced the arrow off.

And I looked around. My eyes widened as I saw roughly a hundred invaders pop up from the bushes and treelines.

It was a trap.

They sacrificed fifty of their men to kill us. How? When?! Candy only reported -!

I growled. I was so stupid! Of course, there was no way that they weren't going to outsmart me. I got careless! I didn't have others waiting to report more from their main camp!

Without words, I projected fifteen tower shields and quickly tossed them to my warriors and rangers, who caught and placed them just as another hail of arrows rained down on us.

I charged ahead with my warhammer drawn.

The Shkifield soldiers were surprised that their weapons didn't work on me, and the first dozen got smashed without being able to retaliate in their shock. Their death spurred the rest, and they began to target me solely.

I felt my HP begin to take a dip every time they made a supposedly "critical" strike against my head or my chest, but due to [Reinforcement] and [Physical Durability], I received only a fraction of the damage dealt. Still, the constant hail of arrows and backstabs were beginning to take a toll on my HP.

It didn't take long for my own warriors to counter them.

They launched themselves at the Shkifield soldiers, arrowheads and swordtips first. They were better trained and better armed, and as a result, made another massacre out of them.

Alas, they weren't better armored, though.

When we were done killing them, eight of our brethren lay dead.

I stored their body in my inventory and we made haste leave of the place.

* * *

**Day 203:**

We were back in our city, but this time, we weren't as cheerful as before.

Our brethren had died as martyrs, fighting til death to keep the invaders away from our home.

The burial ceremony was commenced at night, and I gave my personal farewell to all of them.

It kind of hurt to learn that three of them were "married."

And one of them had a child. I got to see them too. They were tiny little things, unlike the imps that we and the rest of the "first-generation" were. The baby was a true troll baby.

It was then that I understood more of the reasons why they had followed me to the battles and raids.

Because they wanted to keep their family safe.

I never would've been able to do so on my own. Perhaps many of them would have died in the upcoming siege, but they had done their best.

Of the two thousand invaders, less than a thousand five hundred remained.

The day after tomorrow would be when the invading army would reach the foot of the Twin Peaks.

* * *

I was once more out in the field in the night, but with less rangers and warriors beside me. It seemed that death in the battlefield had shaken up few of them and they had decided to man the garrison instead.

I was fine with that.

Shirou was still with me as were the first few who had joined me in our first raids.

Tonight, we were going to perform a hit-and-run. Instead of aiming for their supplies or few soldiers sleeping in, we were going to strike at their command chain. Lords, knights, squires, and veterans.

Lords and knights were simple enough to identify; they proudly brandished their house flags.

Squires and veterans weren't so. In fact, scratch the goals, we weren't going to go for the squires and veterans. There were probably a lot of them compared to the lords and knights, so it was better that we focused on two groups only.

I nodded to Candy and Shirou.

First thing we did?

"Fireball!" I cackled as I threw two handful of fireballs ... right at their newly supplied granaries.

* * *

**Day 196-197 Casualty Count:**

**Ironwood City - 0 warriors**

**Shkifield Army(Ironwood City bound) - 219 soldiers  
44 in the night raids  
175 in D197 ambush**

* * *

**Day 199-203 Casualty Count:**

**Ironwood City - 13 warriors**

**Shkifield Army(Ironwood City bound) - 428 soldiers  
134 in the night raids  
90 in D199 ambush  
204 in D202 night ambush/counter-ambush  
**

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 203:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 79  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Mountain Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+320.5) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 710 (+6.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 641(+320.5 (SGM))  
DEX: 115  
AGI: 133  
END: 174  
INT: 140  
WIS: 136  
CHA: 94  
Unused Points: 79**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +210**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of a Great Mountain (SGM)**

**Focus:  
X**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 2)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 48) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 31)  
Reinforcement (LvL 5)  
****Sonar (LvL 30)**

**Basic Skills:  
Archery (LvL 19)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 11)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 28)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 8)**x**  
Charging (LvL 15)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 16) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 11)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 7)**x  
**Fireball (LvL 3)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Intimidation (LvL 11)  
Leadership (LvL 15)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 5)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 1)  
Physical Durability (LvL 34)  
Running (LvL 35)  
Teaching (LvL 7)  
Throwing (LvL 22)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 11)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**34 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
22 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
7 Faze (Candy)**(xx)**  
16 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
17 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
19 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
5 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
38 imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
3 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
55 fairies**(x)  
**16 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**23 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (Race, no evolution)

**Imprisoned:  
6 humans**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 200**  
cityPower**: 12

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (cityPower: 9)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Erlen Shkitfield's Host to Reclaim Southern Carpathi -1000  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +500 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +800 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -1000 (At War) **(nationalPower: 30)**  
**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Pollodium-Enhanced Ironwood Hammer (Rare)  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**


	35. Chapter 35

**Day 204:**

After returning from the latest night raid, Candy and I found out that Candy's father had evolved.

Unlike Candy and the rest of the Faze, this new race was not covered completely in pitch black skin emulating the moonless, starless sky.

Sokar, as he called himself, was about one point eight meters tall, or six feet tall. He had a lean body and the appearance of a late 40's men. He was still definitely a humanoid, but instead of possessing the said skin, he had a light grey skin and pitch black _hair_. The skin had patches of the pitch black pigment that moved on their own, molding and separating as if they had a life of their own.

**[Sokar**  
**LvL 65**

**Race: Phased**

**HP: 611**  
**Mana: 50**

**STR: 260  
DEX: 60  
AGI: 299  
END: 98  
INT: 100  
WIS: 265  
CHA: 38****]**

This officially put Sokar as the second strongest member of the clan by pure stat's alone. It remained to be seen what he could do for his skills and techniques.

Still, geezus, he had over 600 points in HP! He was a meat tank for someone who was so thin... except his END kind of sucked.

"Is this supposed to happen?" I asked Candy as other Fazes and members of the clan swarmed around him, still amazed by his evolution. He was, after all, the only third evolution alongside myself.

"Father did say that our race would automatically evolve to his current form after living for more than a hundred years..." Candy remarked. "I didn't think dad was that old, though."

I blinked. "One hundred years?"

She nodded. "At least that's the age that he's supposed to be."

Our conversation came to an end when Sokar approached us. "Hello, Chief Ruto."

I grinned easily. "So you call yourself Sokar now?" I asked. "Congratulations on making it to the third evolution."

He smiled back to me. "Thank you, Chief Ruto."

"So I heard that you're more than a hundred years old...?"

Sokar chuckled. "Yes, I am. It's not a big deal for Veshta Nerada and Fazes to live a long time, considering the fact that we don't have many natural predators and we do not possess a true physical body."

I nodded. From my own observations, Veshta Nerada and Fazes were shadows given consciousness and will than a body mimicking shadows. Or at least, such was true with the Fazes. For the Veshta Nerada, no one quite knew what they were despite the fact that we lived with them for quite some time now.

"Chief Ruto, I was wondering..." Candy began.

"Yes?"

* * *

We decided to forgo night raiding tonight. Instead, we focused on our own.

Specifically, it was the New Race Show. A moral raiser, Sokar proposed, before the siege upon their city.

It was sort of like a tradition, I supposed, within the clan. Whenever a new race appeared among us, he or she was to show the rest of the clan their best in whatever field they excelled in. For example, when the Draenei came over, they took over the infirmary and went far to begin setting up a legitimate hospital.

The hospital was still only a building with few healers and beds but without any other equipment and material, so it was still a work in progress. They had also healed some of the injured members of the clan using a racial trait spell called [Naru's Blessing].

Sucks that I couldn't copy it.

Now, it was Sokar's turn to show off, only this time we made it officials as per Sokar's recommendation.

Sokar stood in the middle of the main training ground in the east of the city proper.

He looked like a grey-skinned human from where we all were ... if it weren't for the patches of pitch black pigments moving around and making their own shapes.

It started without a word.

Sokar raised his right hand up above his head and the black patches moved towards it as if answering to his will. They concentrated around his hand and arm until his hand and forearm was completely covered.

Then the most weird shit happened.

His hand began to _change its shape_. It grew longer and thinner until his fingers alone were longer than how tall he was and his palm was larger than how big his torso was.

_SHI-SHICK!_

Then they all grew thorns. Black thorns growing out of the fingers and palm and each other. It was a giant black thorn bush... that waved itself around.

'A huge HP pool and body capable of changing shape where those black patches of skin are,' I thought as I observed the thorns. 'Is there a limit?'

Sokar then returned his hand to its original size ... and then extended his forearm and petted Candy who was more than twenty or so meters away from him.

Candy grumbled.

I chuckled softly.

* * *

After the demonstration, I asked Sokar to take active part in the defense, which he agreed.

"I was going to anyway," he said.

I decided that for today, I would help in the making of passive defenses. I chopped down sturdy, straight trees for their trunks and made sharp points. After that, I staked down down Twin Peaks plateau.

* * *

**Day 205:**

The day had come.

I stood at the edge of the Twin Peaks plateau with my small chiefs beside me.

We saw Shkifield's army at a distance. They were now less than kilometer from the foot of the Twin Peaks.

Our defense against this invading army was such:

1) The natural fortification. Twin Peaks plateau had only five or so entry way for a large group like an army. Of them, only two were available to Shkifield's army.

2) The siege weapons. Shirou and his engineers -or were they apprentices?- had done well with the siege weapons. We now possessed 10 trebuchets, 5 hwachas and 4 ballistas. We also had enough ammo for each to last us a massive assault every single day for the next month.

3) Trench Stakes. I addition to planting stakes, I had dug a small trench in front of it in front of the only few ways such large armies can enter the plateau.

I had no doubt that with these preparations, we will win this battle and siege to come. My only problem, then, became the few stragglers.

If the enemy commander was smart enough, he would use his main force as a distraction while he would command a smaller force to go around and strike us in the back.

And as such...

4) Ambushers. I had several trolls and one Faze per other entries hiding between trees and bushes, in case a squad of the invaders decided to detour.

All I had to do ... was wait.

* * *

It was two hours before noon that they charged us.

Fools. I waited until half of them had passed the foot of the mountain onto the side of the mountain before I gave the orders.

"LET 'EM FLY!" I roared.

The trebuchets, which were in the back, swung and hauled their boulders while the ballistas and the hwachas in the front fired their arrows and bolts.

I watched as the boulders flew over me and struck down at the men climbing up. With the angle of the mountain, the boulder didn't stop at just rolling a bit and continued to plow through their men until it reached the foot of the mountain.

I tsk'ed when I saw that only fifty had died to the trebuchets' attacks.

The arrows and ballista bolts did better. They flew down and struck the soldiers without mercy. The shieldbearers in the front could not withstand the onslaught of arrows and pulled their shields up. Arrows peppered the shields, forming a porcupine out of those shields.

Actually, I was amazed that those shieldbearers were able to keep their pace up even with the arrows pounding against them.

But because they had pulled their shields up, they could not dodge the slower and much more noticeable ballista bolts.

Those bolts struck clear through the shields and their bearers with ease, leaving those behind them open.

Hwachas fired once more on my command.

This time, they struck hard and true.

Without a shield to protect them, the main force took the blunt of the arrows. Men fell by dozens with each volley consisting of more than two hundred arrows fell upon them.

When they tried to race to cover after the volleys were over, Shirou and his rangers fired Bomb Arrows, taking out covers and soldiers hiding behind them.

I could see their morale falling, and I grinned when I saw them eventually turn tail and run away.

"Oh ho ho, too scared of little monsters?" I laughed but it began to strain before it finally turned into a snarl. "But you've climbed so far... So close to my clan..." I turned and looked at the hwacha and ballista loaders. "Fire at will. That goes for you too, trebuchets."

I stared down at the valley where Shkifield's soldiers littered the ground by the hundreds. And even more joined their fallen brethren as my siege weapons shot them in the retreating back.

I had overdone this battle, if it could be called that, but in the end, I had kept my clan safe.

"Let's go hunt them!" I roared as the Highland Warriors of Iskan roared with me. We charged down the hill with a might battlecry, thundering across the valley.

* * *

They never told him that these monsters had siege weapons! His king-to-be never told him about how well organized these monsters were!

Quennarius told him-!

"You lied to me!" Count von Lo'Tenska roared in despair and rage. "You sent me here to die!" he shouted in vain in his anger at his liege's spymaster. He watched as his men, his levy from his personal barony, died by in droves. They had climbed too much, had been too confident.

He had been too confident in himself and what he had been provided. He had been sure that the strikes against army in the past week had been the best these tribal monsters could dish out. Why else would they depend so much on guerrilla fighting when they could meet in the field?

He and the others had trusted in Quennarius, the Spymaster for Erlen Shkifield, the duke-to-be.

No, they had misplaced their trust! Quennarius had betrayed them and the House of Shkifield!

Quennarius would pay, but he had to live right now!

The count watched as the monsters charged down like a tidal wave, even if they were so few in number. If he could gather all of his men together, rally them-!

Then he watched as the charging troll in the front killed his squire who he had allowed to lead this disastrous charge.

The squire had been his personal friend's eldest son.

"You son of a b-!" he roared at the troll, who turned to him.

The count's sentence cut off when a boulder flung by the monsters land on top of him and roll off.

* * *

I blinked before shrugging. I couldn't kill him. Bummer.

Still, even with this victory, it felt odd. Like something was missing...

Ah. "Don't kill all of them! We need few of them for exchange! Go for those armored knights!" I hastily ordered. "We can exchange for spice that Sholva brought two weeks ago! They have to be alive!"

For some reason, that seemed to make the morale shoot up.

* * *

**Day 196-197 Casualty Count:**

**Ironwood City - 0 warriors**

**Shkifield Army(Ironwood City bound) - 219 soldiers  
44 in the night raids  
175 in D197 ambush**

* * *

**Day 199-203 Casualty Count:**

**Ironwood City - 13 warriors**

**Shkifield Army(Ironwood City bound) - 428 soldiers  
134 in the night raids  
90 in D199 ambush  
204 in D202 night ambush/counter-ambush**

* * *

**Day 204 Casualty Count:**

**Ironwood City - 0 warriors**

**Shkifield Army(Ironwood City bound) - 1,079 + Count von Lo'Tenska, the Commander  
Battle of Ironwood City - 1,080 killed, 23 caught  
**

* * *

**Total Casulties:**

**Ironwood City - 13/268**

**Shkifield Army(Ironwood City bound) - 1750/2000  
****X-*Near Annihilation*-X**

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 203:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 79  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Mountain Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+320.5) (+1.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 710 (+6.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 641(+320.5 (SGM))  
DEX: 115  
AGI: 133  
END: 174  
INT: 140  
WIS: 136  
CHA: 94  
Unused Points: 79**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +210**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of a Great Mountain (SGM)**

**Focus:  
X**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 2)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 48) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 31)  
Reinforcement (LvL 5)  
****Sonar (LvL 30)**

**Basic Skills:  
Archery (LvL 19)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 11)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 28)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 8)**x**  
Charging (LvL 15)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 16) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 11)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 7)**x  
**Fireball (LvL 3)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Intimidation (LvL 11)  
Leadership (LvL 15)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 5)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 1)  
Physical Durability (LvL 34)  
Running (LvL 35)  
Teaching (LvL 7)  
Throwing (LvL 22)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 11)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**34 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
22 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
8 Faze (Candy, Sokar)**(xx)**  
15 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
17 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
19 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
5 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
38 imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
3 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
55 fairies**(x)  
**16 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**23 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (Race, no evolution)

**Imprisoned:  
31 humans**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 500**  
cityPower**: 14

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (cityPower: 14)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Erlen Shkitfield's Host to Reclaim Southern Carpathi -1000  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +500 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +800 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -1000 (At War) **(nationalPower: 30)**  
**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Pollodium-Enhanced Ironwood Hammer (Rare)  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Race Summaries:  
Part 1  
From the Official Imperial Encyclopedia of the Volreek Empire  
Authored by:  
Andrews Maulta, Soman Yun, Tobol Weisstein**

**It must be noted that the World of Andalusia is not the birthplace of any of these races. In fact, Andalusia is an adopted home of all the races after their ancestors found their way into this world.**

**Born vs. Evolved:  
**There are two types of races before their speciation can be discussed. It is being born into a race and evolving into a race. An example of this would be the humans. Humans as a whole are a non-evolving race. They are all born into their race by live birth. Elementals -if they could be considered a race- are human's anathema; they all have evolved into their current form from other races. There are races that are inbetween. Trolls, for instance, can be born or evolved into.  
Those who are born into a "True Race" cannot evolve from their race without significant changes to their physiology.

**True Race:**  
True Races are races that individuals can be "born-into," possess high enough base sapience and sentience, lack a wide-diversification, and a mysterious fourth reason. All four criteria must be met for a race to be considered True Race.  
It is for this reason that races like imps and bullywugs are not considered a True Race because while they have high enough base sapience, sentience, and all are born-into it, they have too much diversification. Forest Imps, Fire Imps, Rock Imps, Shade Imps, Gas Imps, Swamp Imps, etc. Many nations in the world use the qualification of True Race as a basis for their Listed Race consideration.

**Trolls:  
**Trolls are the fourth Race to be documented in the world of Andalusia. Measuring at an average of 2 meters with the males (6.5 ft) and 1.7 meters with the females (5.6 ft), they are one of the taller races to inhabit the world of Andalusia. Trolls' skin color ranges from green and blue to red and grey with the only missing colors being pink, orange, white, black, yellow, and purple. They have a pair of tusks that has an average reach of 8 centimeters (3.9 in). Males have a long nose while females have a nose similar to elves and humans. They have five fingers per hand and three toe per feet.  
Considered to be more feral than the average True Race, they have been denied a lot of the privileges of other races despite the fact that in the continent of Tesbalta, they have developed a thriving and glorious civilization that shames many others. Number of troll sub-species has been last recorded to be around 90.  
Racial Trait: **[Troll Blood]**  
Average lifespan is unknown as no troll has been recorded to have died from old age.

**Humans:  
**The second Race -and the second True Race- to arrive in the world of Andalusia, humans are the most populous of the True Races. Average male is 1.8 meters tall (6 ft) and average female is 1.6 meters tall (5.3 ft). Humans' skin pigment is either pink, peach, brown, and their variations.  
While not the most arrogant, humans tend to be snobbish compared to other races due to how widespread their culture and civilizations are. They are considered the most average of the True Races, admitted even by their own scientists and magicians. At the same time, humans show a wide range of power, and occupy more than half of the top 100 most powerful individuals around the world at any given point in history.  
Racial Trait: **[Desire for Domination]**  
Average lifespan is around 90 years.

**Elves:  
**Considered to be the most beautiful of the True Races, elves were the third Race -and the third True Race- to arrive in the world of Andalusia. Elves' have three skin pigments: purple, peach, and grey. Each skin color corresponds to the sub-race, respectively: Night Elf, High Elf, and the Drow. All sub-races have long pointed ears, glowing eyes of any one color, and general facial and bodily structure of the humans. Average male is 1.8 meters tall (6 ft) and average female is 1.6 meters tall (5.3 ft).  
Each sub-race are associated with different aspects of their society. The drow are the evil ones, night elves are the hippies, and the high elves are greedy. Drows are also the most-warlike, night elves are the most powerful, and the high elves are the most resourceful.  
Racial trait: **[Blessed of Nature]**  
Average lifespan is unknown as no elf has been recorded to have died from old age.

**Tauren:  
**The first Race -and the first True Race- to arrive upon the world of Andalusia, tauren are cow-like people. They possess a cow's head but the rest of their body structure is similar to that of humans, if you discount the hair-growth and hooves for feet. They have three fingers in each of their hand. They also have horns on their head. Average male is 2.3 meters tall (7.5 ft) and average female is 2 meters tall (6.5 ft), making them the tallest of the True Races. Their skin tone varies between peach, dark grey, white, and brown.  
Most peaceful of all True Races, taurens are the keepers of history and wisdom. Even in kingdoms where human superiority reigns, taurens are respected and treated equally.  
Racial trait:** [Birthed of Nature]**  
Average lifespan of a tauren is around 120 years.

**Kobolds:  
**There are three sub-races of Kobolds: the reptilian, rodent, and canine. Both rodent and reptilian kobolds are known to live in caves, but the former is considers all none-kobolds are meat. The canine kobolds are a distant relative of the reptilian kobold, and lead a tribal social and lifestyle in forests and plains. Average male is 1.5 meters tall (4.9 ft) and average female is 1.4 meters tall (4.6 ft).  
Often looked down upon for their less-than normal civilized lifestyle, they are excluded from all kingdoms for both their lack of desire to communicate with most True Races and their habit of pillaging.  
Racial trait: canine**[Pack Hivemind]**, rodent**[Rock Skin]**, reptilian**[Mineralogy]**  
Average lifespan is about 60 years.

**Draenei:  
**One of the True Races, Draenei are similar to tauren and night elves in their inward focus in many aspects of their life. Average male is 1.9 meters tall (6.3 ft) and average female is 1.7 meters tall (5.6 ft). Like the tauren, they possess hooves instead of feet and at the same time possess double jointed legs. They also have a thick meaty tail that has an average length of a 1.5 (4.9 ft) in adults. Males have tendrils in place of facial hair and forehead plates of varying sizes and shapes. Females lack facial tendrils and instead of a forehead plate, draenei females have a horn-like cranial extensions.  
Draenei were once the most technologically advance people. However, they were driven off from their homeland with pieces of their technology, and arrived in Andalusia as refugees. Here in this world, they set up a civilization rivaling the culture and power of the humans. However, more than a third of their kind lie scattered throughout the world, unable to reach each other for variety of reasons.  
Racial Trait: **[Naaru's Blessing]  
**Average lifespan is about 150 years.

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Give a round of applause to **kage88** for giving me a great idea. He suggested adding slime from Overlord. So I got the idea of a humanoid, shapechanging slime with the Faze to create the new race of Phased.

*I don't ever intend to make romance central to the story; romance is the smallest seasoning, not the main dish. It'll affect Ruto's actions very sparsely.

*Yeah, Ruto has been too busy with night raids and city fortification to look at class system. On top of that, it's unwise to introduce new things to soldiers right before the battle. Yeah, the battle was short, but that's how battles are. Short, sweet, and deadly.


	36. Chapter 36

**Day 204(continued):**

The remnant of Shkifield's invading army were far gone when we had looted the dead, captured the living, and returned back to our city.

That's when the massive alert spam happened.

Ping!

**[You have defeated an army with a numerical disadvantage!]**  
**[Achievement: Tiny and Unyielding]  
[Fame: +500]**

**[You have commanded over a victorious battle!]**  
**[Achievement: Veni Vidi Vici]  
[Fame: +50]**

**[You have annihilated an army in one battle!]**  
**[Achievement: Army Killing Commander]  
[Fame: +100]**

**[You have captured lords and knights of an enemy nation!]**  
**[Achievement: Ransom Dealer]  
**

**[Battle of Ironwood City **  
**No Friendly Casualty: +10,000 EXP**  
**Victory against Vastly Numerically Superior Army: +100,000 EXP**  
**Enemy Chief Commander Killed : +50,000 EXP**  
**Broke Enemy Morale: +2,500 EXP**  
**Enemy Casualties x10 Yours: +5,000 EXP**  
**Enemy Casualties x20 Yours: +25,000 EXP**  
**First Blood!: +100 EXP**  
**Persons of Importance Captured: +1,000 EXP per titled prisoner**  
**Persons of Non-Importance Captured: +50 EXP per prisoner**

**Total LvL gained: 24]**

I blinked for a second before I felt my body grow in response. My body felt lighter, first of all.

Ping!

**[END has reached 200! You have gained the [Lesser Regeneration Magnifier] skill!]**

**[Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 1)**  
_My body is better, stronger, and healthier. My healing speed reflects this.  
_***Effect: All forms of passive regeneration and debuff nullfiers gain a x1.5 boost to amount regenerated]  
**

Ping! Ping! Ping!

**[WIS has reached 150! You have gained the [Lesser Mana Pool]!]**

**[INT has reached 150! You have gained the [Lesser Knowledge Connection] skill!]**

**[Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 1)  
**_I'm starting to understand everything a lot better.._**.  
*Effect: +1% success new magic spell crafting  
*Effect: +1% success new object recipe crafting  
*****Effect: -10% failing magic spell cast]****  
**

**[CHA has reached 100! You have gained the [Greater Leadership] skill, replacing the [Leadership] skill!]**

**[Greater Leadership (LvL 1)  
**_People follow me because I take care of them._**  
*Effect: +10% production in subordinates  
*Effect: +10% HP**** in subordinates****  
*Effect: ****+10% MP**** in subordinates****  
*****Effect: +10% HP Regen**** in subordinates****  
*Effect: ****+10% MP Regen ****in subordinates****  
*Effect: ****+10% Total Attack Damage**** in subordinates  
*****Effect: All effects are perma-buffed by +0.5% every fifth level of this skill]**

I decided to just turn all the alerts off and sort them out next morning.

* * *

**Day 205:**

When I woke up, I found myself feeling a bit too tight on the bed.

I raised my head up and groaned.

I had evolved again... and I had also grown taller, again.

I was going to need another bed.

Was I going to keep growing? Where would I sleep then?!

In my groggy state of mind, I pushed those thoughts aside to grab morning breakfast.

...

When I arrived in the public kitchens, I found myself being stared at by everyone.

It wasn't long before Shirou approached me.

"News in the morning?" I asked him. I had gone to sleep very early the day before, so it was possible I might have missed few things.

"No... You're still a troll."

I blinked. "I guess I am," I replied easily. I grabbed one of the plates and put on some baked potato, corn, and peas. Maybe I should go hunting. "I grew, if that's what's different. What else can you see?" I asked him.

Shirou observed me for a bit before shrugging. "Hell if I know. You don't look that different."

* * *

Aside from the fact that I grew two feet in length and gained a straighter back, there wasn't much different about me.

This new evolution kinda sucked. No new traits or anything like that.

I could lament my evolution's lack of perks later. For now, I had those skills to look over and points to invest.

For the most part, all of the skills I have gained were passive. They just buffed my existing skills, stats, or other factors about me. So far, nothing to actually work with.

Then the points.

I had over 200 again.

... I wondered.

My STR could reach a thousand points if I invested a lot of the reserve points.

Would I get a new skill?

... Well, I was going for STR and END fighter.

I wanted to reach exactly a thousand, so...

_1000-768=232_

_232/2 = 116_

I dumped 116 points there. The points doubled thanks to my traits, and I reached a thousand points.

Ping!

**[Trait: Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII)**  
**There is only one universal truth for the living: the Strong flourishes!**  
**Effect: This trait replaces any and all Mountain traits. **  
***Effect: Every point in STR increases STR by 0.75. This extra point is calculated only in combat damage dealing calculations.**  
***Effect: -20% physical damage taken before defensive calculation**  
***Effect: +(0.002*CTL*STR) Additional Physical Damage (melee only)**  
***Effect: +50% chance of breaking target's armor]**

A better version of what I already had. Cool.

I still had over a hundred points, though.

"...If I meet a fast opponent, I wouldn't be able to hit him," I said to myself. "So I need speed."

And promptly dumped rest of the points into AGI.

Ping!

**[AGI has reached 150 points! You have gained [Adrenaline Rush] skill!]**

**[AGI has reached 200 points! You have a choice between two skills: [Double Strike] or [Piercing Strike]!]**

**[Adrenaline Rush (LvL 1)**  
_I'm pumped up! Come at me!_  
***Effect: +2% movement speed, attack speed, and cooldown reduction per skill LvL**  
***Effect: -2% crowd control effect per skill LvL]**

**[Double Strike (LvL 1) Cost: 20 mana per strike**  
_I can hit you at two different places at the same time down to the millisecond_  
***Effect: Deal two physical attacks in one strike. Second damage deals 50% of the first damage**  
***Effect: +5% Additional Physical Damage to second damage dealt per skill LvL****]**

or

**[Piercingg Strike (LvL 1)**  
_Nothing shall protect you, not even your own flesh_  
***Effect: +4% Critical Strike chance per skill LvL**  
***Effect: +10% Magic Defense Penetration per ten skill lvl]**

This ... was a hard choice. Either I struck twice in one strike or critically strike. The latter was not guaranteed, but any successful strike would be much stronger than Double Strike. Double Strike was a guarantee damage dealer as long as I didn't miss, but it required mana per activation.

Actually, I had more than 1.7 thousand MP. Why was I hesitating?

...

Because I don't possess any form of Magic Defense Penetration.

This was actually the first time that such an effect was available to me.

I had no doubt that sooner or later I was going to fight someone capable of taking damage from me by using magic. If that was the case, [Piercing Strike] would help me better.

...

At the same time, I had Shirou to help me in that regard. I could always ask him to make me a weapon capable of piercing through magic barriers and other protections with ease.

I chose [Double Strike].

Time to test them, eh?

* * *

Once again, I was among the boulders and rocks. I had my warhammer with me. It swung lazily in circles in my right hand. I stood before the biggest remaining boulder; I will have to bring more up from either the mines or the Bullywug Valleys once I was done with this test.

Shirou, having finished what he called his morning duty, had joined me as did Candy, Iskan, and Sokar. They watched me from the sideline as did few other clan members. Most of my audience members were warriors and rangers with one or two civilians.

"[Double Strike]!" I exclaimed before striking.

**244, 122 Physical Damage!**

"366 damage," I said outloud.

Shirou whistled. "That's a lot."

"How large is that number?" I heard Candy ask Shirou.

Shirou was the only one so far who understood the RPG mechanics of my abilities and their damage output compared to people.

"If I remember correctly, that strike will kill anyone in our clan with one strike except Sokar and myself."

I heard the foots shuffle in the background.

"[Double Strike: Crushing Blow!]" I shouted and struck again.

**488, 244 Physical Damage!**  
**Structural Integrity Broken!**

The boulder crumbled to small bits of rocks after its structure was shattered by my blows.

"832!"

"Oh damn."

"And how much is that?" Sokar asked.

"Your HP is around 600, Sokar. If he struck you with that, you would be dead."

Everyone gawked.

I chuckled. "This is still nowhere enough," I muttered to myself.

Shirou approached me from behind. "Being a one-man-army won't solve the problem, you know that right?"

I scoffed. "I think it'll solve a lot of problems. But besides that, how many volunteers have you found?" I asked him.

While I had defeated the two thousand that had threatened my home, it was now my ally who was at danger. While Pset would not be outnumbered like we were, Shkifield will be much more prepared and will not underestimate the Duke.

I couldn't gather my entire clan to fight, but I can bring enough to make a small difference, especially if we struck at their flank with Shirou and myself. If we're lucky, we might even take out Shkifield himself.

"40 in total. Most of Iskan and his Highlanders are coming. Candy and Sokar are coming as well."

I nodded to the ones mentioned by Shirou, and they nodded me back. "Then will Senna be in charge of the city again?"

Shirou grunted in affirmation. "She's actually complaining a little about that. 'I won't have more time for my children' or something like that."

"...Children?"

"Her plants."

"Ah. Okay then, what about our prisoners?"

"Well, the original four decided to join us. Apparently, they had it rough where they came from, and our plentiful food looked too tempting for them."

I raised an eyebrow. "How do we know they won't betray us? We did kill their comrades."

"They told me that their vanguard was composed of mostly mercenaries and brigands that managed to get coerced into service with few civilians here and there. There were no love lost aside from the trauma of being so close to death," he replied. "And I may have used a little bit of cheating with my [Structural Analysis]."

"You looked at their history?"

"From their own clothes."

"Huh. Wonder when I'll be able to do that."

"I doubt you'll be ever able to. You're a brute meat tank, not a magician like me."

"Oi."

* * *

By noon, the volunteers, a total of 46 warriors and rangers, and I were running towards Pset to save our ally.

* * *

**Same time at Pset...**

Christopher cursed as another arrow found perch in the head of another one of his soldiers.

Pset was in dire straits.

While the other wall had yet to be breached, the only bridge into Pset had been taken over by Shkifield. On the other hand, the narrow entrance of his city's gates and the lack of wide solid ground around the city had prevented an all out siege.

But it didn't prevent Shkifield from doing some messed up shit.

Pardon, _dishonorable _shit.

He had arrived just two days ago, and the first thing he did after taking over the bridge was to toss in disease infested bodies of his raped and killed subjects outside the wall. Thankfully, three of the magicians who lived in his city were very familiar with cleansing and healing spells. Those three were the only reason so far that no disease outbreak hadn't started.

On the second day and now today, they just kept on firing arrows.

The housing district was well within and closer to the citadel, and as such, his citizens weren't in danger.

But himself and the soldiers on the walls?

One bad peek can get them killed.

Just like the idiot soldier who had died peeking.

With only two thousand to fight the seven thousand before them, the morale was low.

"I just hope you won your battle, Ruto," Christopher prayed as he loaded his crossbow and fired back.

Because his city and he were not going to survive otherwise.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 204:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 103  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+500) (+2.25 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+12.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1000(+750 (SGMII))  
DEX: 124  
AGI: 258  
END: 223  
INT: 180  
WIS: 187  
CHA: 113  
Unused Points: 0**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +860**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII)**

**Focus:  
X**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 2)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 48) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 31)  
Reinforcement (LvL 5)  
****Sonar (LvL 30)**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 1)**x**  
Archery (LvL 19)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 11)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 28)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 8)**x**  
Charging (LvL 15)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 16) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 11)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 7)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 1)**x  
**Fireball (LvL 3)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 1)  
Intimidation (LvL 11)  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 1)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 5)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 1)  
Physical Durability (LvL 34)  
Running (LvL 35)  
Teaching (LvL 7)  
Throwing (LvL 22)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 11)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**34 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
22 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
8 Faze (Candy, Sokar)**(xx)**  
15 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
17 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
19 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
5 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
38 imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
3 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
55 fairies**(x)  
**16 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**23 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (Race, no evolution)

**Imprisoned:  
31 humans**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 500**  
cityPower**: 14

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (cityPower: 14)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Erlen Shkitfield's Host to Reclaim Southern Carpathi -1000  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +500 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +800 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -1000 (At War) **(nationalPower: 30)**  
**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Pollodium-Enhanced Ironwood Hammer (Rare)  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Power conversions are in chapter 32. Most of the powers I listed are rough conversions using averages and estimates.


	37. Chapter 37

**Evolution tree so far...**

**imgur DRgWZEn**

* * *

**Day 206:  
**

It took us a day to reach Pset after borrowing horses from Sholva on our way. He was only glad to let us have them.

It was a massive army.

We stood watching from one of the forested peaks of the surrounding mountains.

With the bridge in the middle, the two sides were separated. Pset held firm thanks to its geographical location. The only way into it was through the bridge, and Christopher's attention to keeping a horde of archers was paying off.

On the other hand, Shkifield's army had it easy. They had supplies coming in steadily and they had a lot of other cities they could pillage for resources.

I gritted my teeth.

The men I brought with me were too few in number, I realized, to make a difference. This army was different from the one I had fought. I held no advantage here nor was I overly familiar with the grounds.

No, if I charged in there, it would be my death. If I went to reinforce Pset, it would make no difference. I would just be stuck there like the rest of Christopher's soldiers and subjects. Worse, due to their limited food supplies, I might make the situation worse.

On top of that, I saw many magicians among Shkifield's army. Their numbers were at least seven times that of the other army, which meant that I couldn't fire my Bomb Arrows without expecting a barrier to come up.

...

So I could not charge in nor could I reinforce the city as the first was stupidity and the latter changed nothing.

I will, of course, kill any and all pillagers I can, but eventually I'll have to stop before Shkifield sends too much of his men at me. Again, I had no advantage here.

...

Ah.

The only thing I could do was to hit his supplies.

Shkifield had an army of 7,000. That army needed to be fed, clothed, and entertained. There was only so much that he could pillage and forage off the land before his soldiers began to starve.

If I cut off the supplies...

I grinned as I approved of my strategy. "It'll be mutiny."

* * *

I sent one of the Fazes to alert Christopher of my plan in the night, and sent a forest troll back to my city to bring one of the Greater Fairies to be sneaked into Pset. My reason for doing both had one reason: raising morale.

I did not doubt that the soldiers were becoming wary. Anyone decent in the head could tell that Shkifield intended to wait out Pset by starving them. Sure, I saw Shkifield have his archers and catapults fire at the city occasionally throughout the day, but those were -I believed- to demoralize the Pset's garrison by reminding them that they were stuck and in war.

I told Faze to tell the Duke that help was here and that I intended to cut off Shkifield's own supply. If Christopher was smart, he would use this as a rally point to keep the morale high -or at least keep it at its current level. At the same time, I would enlist the help of a _food growing _Greater Fairy from my own city. By placing her, as most of the Greater Fairies were women, I would ensure that Pset would not run out of food. Of course, food would be limited to vegetables and fruits, so that was a bummer.

This would effectively keep the morale up high.

Most of this I came up after listening to Shirou talk about battles, sieges, and so on from his previous world.

So I now had 38 fighters.

We were going to go caravan hunting.

* * *

Christopher rose up from his chair and looked at the intruder.

It was a Faze. It wore dark leather in everything.

But he could feel the power radiating off of it. Christopher knew that if this Faze wanted him dead, there was no way he could win.

And the Faze bowed.

"My name is Yolok, Your Grace. Chief Ruto sends me to greet you."

Christopher's eyes widened. "Are you and your city well? How about Chief Ruto himself?" he asked in rapid fire fashion.

The Faze straightened itself. "All is well. Our clan managed to annihilate the army that targeted our city."

Christopher blinked before his mind began to shut down.

Did the Faze just say that Ruto and his clan defeated the other army? The army of two thousand?

"Are you here to tell me that you and your clan can't help?" he asked. It was logical. If a clan of less than five hundred fought against an army of two thousand, it was unlikely that they had many people left. It would've been-.

"On the contrary," the Faze chuckled. "We received no casualties during the actual battle for the city itself."

...

"H-How?!" Christopher burst out.

"Their stupid commander just ordered his soldiers to charge while we had our own siege weapons ready."

"You built your own siege weapons in such a short time? Who gave you the blueprints to them?"

"Small Chief Shirou designed and built them. We got no help from your own subjects, Your Grace."

Christopher couldn't help it.

He fainted.

* * *

When he woke up to the alarmed cries of his soldiers and maids, he found a letter on his desk.

_Chief Ruto has come to help you. He will strike at Shkifield's supply caravan. He urges you to keep your men in high morale with this information, for soon, Shkifield and his men will starve while you prosper inside your city._

...

He didn't regret anything about allying himself with Ruto and giving him one of his own baronies.

Nope, he regretted nothing.

* * *

**Day 207:**

"WHAT?!" Erlen Shkifield, the man who will become the Duke of Transyl-Carpathi, roared at the messenger.

The messenger flinched. "Milord, Count von Lo'Tenska has been killed and most of the 2,000 men army you sent with him were annihilated. Few stragglers that we managed to bring in have all but confirmed that less than a hundred were likely to have survive the outcome of the battle."

Shkifield and his generals all gawked.

Count von Lo'Tenska was no slouch in the battlefield. He was not a superb general, but he shouldn't have been defeated by monsters like trolls and kobolds!

"How?" he hissed.

"From what the survivors tell me, sir... the monsters had siege weapons and knew how to properly use them. They also possessed at least three varieties of them."

"Monsters using siege weapons properly...?" one of the generals muttered. "This is a disaster. This is obviously not a normal tribe of monsters. We underestimated them."

There were mutters and murmurs around the strategy tent. Lieutenants and captains were discussing the implications of such a tribe not just for Shkifield's expedition but also on a more long term scale.

"And all of the survivors claimed that they saw a third evolution troll leading the monster tribe. Few of them even claimed that it had minions using variety of sword magic."

"MILORD!"

The tent flaps burst inward and another messenger hurried in. He quickly took the knee on the dry ground. "Our supply caravan has been attacked! The ambushers left none alive and burned all of our supplies!"

"The forager party has been ambushed!" someone from outside the tent shouted.

_**BOOM**_

"The supply tents are on fire! We're being ambushed!"

_**BOOM BOOM BOOM**_

What the fuck was going on out there?!

* * *

I and the rest of the fighters chuckled and cackled as we watched Shkifield's army run around like a headless chicken in the face of the fire and the sudden ambush.

We allowed the small foraging party to retreat back to their main camp, where they were sure to be treated at first sight. They were taken into a tent that we all assumed to be a medical tent. We also saw one of the dressed men go back and forth between that tent and another one.

Shirou wasted no time to lay waste to medical tent with a shot of "Caladbolg." It did more than just wipe out a medical tent; it cratered more than fifteen tents. Assuming fifteen soldiers per tent, that was more than two hundred soldiers killed right there.

I distributed my own Bomb Arrows to the rangers and we fired exactly three volleys before we retreated.

The thing about big army was that they needed large amount of discipline and control.

So what was an army's worst enemy?

Chaos.

Unbridled chaos that had no enemy for them to fight.

And with Shirou's firing range, there was no way for them to confirm who their enemy was.

* * *

**Day 215:**

I waited on top of the trees along with the rest of my rangers.

Below us, another one of Shkifield's caravans were passing by.

This caravan had decided that they were going to take the long way around to avoid us.

Foolish.

In the past week alone, I had my tiny fairies scout out the entire area and I mapped the entire valley using Sonar. It was what I had spent most of my time when I was not ambushing pillagers, supply caravans, or foragers.

We had a decent map ready to use, and using it, we found all the routes of the valley.

There was no way for them to pass by us unnoticed to their camp.

I raised my hand ... and swung down.

As one, my rangers and I jumped down on top of the supply caravan. The swordsmen among us got a kill each the moment they landed and the archers among us were still in the trees, taking out enemies without mercy from above.

Me?

I was lifting my hammer from their strongest soldier's crushed head. I wasted some time looking around.

Unlike the first few ambushes, we have determined that once they were not in place of a decent enough commander, Shkifield's soldiers were nothing more than rabble. My [Sonar] cleared to me beforehand that Shkifield didn't have soldiers ready to counter-ambush me. So I had time to waste.

I lifted my warhammer and hefted it onto my shoulder and turned my head around to see if there was anything near for me to get rid of.

Well, aside from the wagon filled with food.

"RAHHH!"

I looked to my left and saw a vanguard charging at me with a spear.

The moment the spear got into my arm's reach, I snapped at it.

Surprisingly, my new speed was something. My arm was a blur and the spear was broken.

The vanguard came to a screeching halt before he stared at me. I could see him trembling.

I scoffed and threw a fireball at him. He screamed as his clothes and armor caught on fire.

Without a care for the man now burning inside his own armor, I threw another fireball at the wagon filled with food.

"Time to go, boys!" I shouted. Then I decided to give the burning man mercy and flattened his head with my warhammer.

I turned around and left the place without looking back.

Invaders and their sympathizers deserved no second chance.

* * *

**Day 217:**

Erlen growled as he slammed his fist down onto his table.

Of the seventeen total supply caravans that should've arrived in the past week, only two had survived and they had survived because they had dressed themselves up as local farmers.

He had tried many things to keep his supply coming. He had sent out raid parties, he had sent out pillagers, he had sent out foragers.

Foragers were all killed.

Pillagers had their severed heads on top of their own spears in the morning.

Raiders ... disappeared.

With the destruction of their supply tents in this mysterious ambushers' attacks, he and his army was now suffering from starvation.

He had to hope that the Galburian king's conquest in the western regions of the Duchy was progressing well, because as of right now, Erlen knew that his army had been halted.

* * *

On the other side of the war, Duke Christopher Zepolya was having a field day.

After the Faze had left, it had returned next day with another Faze and .. a Greater Fairy.

Now, one must understand that Greater Fairies were close to being saints among humans. Not only were they the kindest species in the world of Andalusia, they were also saviors of many communities in the early days of True Race settlements.

So when the two Faze had returned publicly with a Greater Fairy between them?

They were greeted like the duke himself.

He didn't mind, especially when Aria began to grow food.

Despite being holed up in their city, it was going great for them.

* * *

**Day 220:**

Erlen had enough.

"Prepare for an assault and have the siege towers ready," he told his generals. "We can no longer falter here. If we cannot take this city, we will starve here. So we shall advance."

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 220:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 109  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+510) (+2.25 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+12.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1020(+765 (SGMII))  
DEX: 125  
AGI: 261  
END: 240  
INT: 192  
WIS: 199  
CHA: 113  
Unused Points: 35**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +860**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII)**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 4)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 50) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 33)  
Reinforcement (LvL 9)  
****Sonar (LvL 31)**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 2)**x**  
Archery (LvL 23)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 16)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 30)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 15)**x**  
Charging (LvL 18)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 16) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 11)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 13)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 3)**x  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 2)  
Intimidation (LvL 14)  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 1)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 9)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 1)  
Physical Durability (LvL 37)  
Running (LvL 36)  
Teaching (LvL 7)  
Throwing (LvL 23)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 14)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**34 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
22 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
8 Faze (Candy, Sokar)**(xx)**  
15 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
17 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
19 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
5 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
38 imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
3 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
55 fairies**(x)  
**16 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**23 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (True Race)  
**4 Humans ()** (True Race)

**Imprisoned:  
27 humans**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 500**  
cityPower**: 14

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (cityPower: 14)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Erlen Shkifield's Host to Reclaim Southern Carpathi -1000  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +500 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +800 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -1000 (At War) **(nationalPower: 30)**  
**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Pollodium-Enhanced Ironwood Hammer (Rare)  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Naruto can't buy or sell traits. He can attempt to create quests to remove them or supplement them, but he can't make transcations with them.

*For the last time, Focus is a removed feature.


	38. Chapter 38

**Day 220 (continued):**

I watched as Shkifield's army readied themselves for an assault.

It was a massive under taking.

Despite the fact that only 6,300 or so out of the 7,000 that they had come here with remained and the fact that they had been starving for few days, they looked ready to storm the city.

"There will be food there!" one of the commanders shouted. "All we need to do is break that gate open! Then all the food that they have?! It'll be OURS! We will FEAST!"

The soldiers, as one, roared.

... That's what probably stirred the soldiers on, then.

On the other hand, my warriors and rangers were all fed and rested properly. They might not have the desperation of those soldiers, but my warriors were far better prepared.

"We strike when they are fully engaged in the assault of the walls," I ordered.

"Yes, Chief!"

Shirou had also prepared something for everyone, so it was going to be a good surprise.

* * *

At noon, Shkifield ordered his men to charge.

With their shields over their heads -and wooden planks for those without- and with nothing but ladders being carried, they charged.

While the common soldiers attempted to scale the walls with the ladders, the engineers of the Shkifield's army were pushing their ram. Heavy and sturdy, it provided cover from archers and magic alike.

Magicians were with the engineers as well. They fired a spell every now and then at the walls, bringing down Zepolya's men with fire and water.

Men roared as the ram neared the gates, while the garrison on the gate tower poured oil over them. Then the few magicians among Zepolya's men threw their fire spells at the boiling oil.

The wooden ram burned under the blows. Shkifield magicians attempted to dose the fire with water, but fire burning on oil only made their attempts worse. Water meant to cool sizzle and hissed before bouncing off. Now boiled water bounced on other soldiers, burning their exposed skin and face without mercy.

The wall channeled the massive army into narrow forces climbing the ladders. Even when secured, Pset's garrison kicked them right back out and dropped literal rocks on the men below. Those stupid enough -or slow- to not have a shield over their head were killed by the rocks.

Slowly, the bodies of the dead piled on.

Spears thrusted, stabbing their target without mercy.

Soldiers screamed in pain as they fell from the wall and smashed their head into a stew on the ground.

Commanders roared in fury as attack failed. Garrison roared in victory as they held.

Magicians threw spells back and forth. Fire burned their comrades and water tossed men into the valley below.

And throughout it all, the "kings" of each side stood away from the battlefield. They looked on, making decisions and commands that killed both their men and the enemy's.

* * *

Boman, son of Sohan, was a farmer from the Kingdom of Galburia. He hadn't been part of the levy that their king had pulled up to fight against the current ruler of the Duchy, but he had joined Shkifield's mercenary band with a hope of getting paid well.

A farmer's life in Galburia was hard. Despite the kingdom possessing large swaths of fertile land, Galburia was experiencing the worst drought the current four generations of humans had seen. Rivers had shown the bottom and the lakes showed their bedrock bottom.

Water resovoirs made by the ancestors hundreds of years ago were dried up as well.

There was no water. It hadn't rained for three years.

His friends died. His family died.

He was one of the few left in his village.

It was a terrible place to be when only five year before there were surplus of grain and meat.

So he had followed Shkifield and his promise of fortune to this land of ragged mountains and valleys where rain still fell and people lived with plentiful food.

He came ...

But he didn't think killing people would be something this crazy.

That this war would be this crazy.

He climbed over the war and quickly leapt at the closest enemy. He struck down with all the force he could muster and watched in disgust as his target's unprotected and sweaty head split open. The blood and the brain within splattered onto his face.

But he had no time to repent for his action; he had to survive.

He whirled around and struck at another man as more of his own comrades made it over the wall.

But before he and his comrades could make a footing, they kicked him over the wall.

He yelped as he rolled and used his nimble hands to grab onto the ladder.

His pounding heart slowed down a little.

He frowned.

Eyes narrowed as they focused on something in the far distance. Far beyond where Lord Shkifield and his generals were.

"ENEMY!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "ENEMY BEHIND US! ENE-!"

A rock fell on his helmeted head and silenced him.

* * *

But the rock had fallen too late.

The whole of the battlefield had noticed.

The entire battlefield paused as they looked.

Why?

Because there shouldn't have been another armed force.

Our surprise attack was coming a bit sooner, but I didn't mind.

"Raise the flag!"

Two trolls saluted before heaving the great flag up.

There. At the top of the pole was a flag of a mountain with a green and black background.

I stared upon the battlefield with Shkifield's burning tents behind me.

"SHKIFIELD!" I roared.

My skills activated on their own, and the [Intimidation] took hold on everyone.

"YOU HAVE INVADED MY HOME! MY VALLEY! MY MOUNTAIN! NOW YOU STRIKE AT MY ALLY!" I roared even louder than before. "YOU WILL NOT LEAVE HERE ALIVE!"

As one, my warriors marched uphill from behind me.

They were all doned in the Ironwood Steel Armor Set that I had designed for my clan. Their black and white scheme looked like a great mist with their numbers. They all wielded a tower shield, an Ironwood Steel Axe, and a very big surprise.

Crossbow Guns.

This was Shirou's little surprise beyond just finishing the armor sets and the weapons. They were designed to allow the wielder to both shoot a bow and fire a bullet.

They were only worth two shots, but it would be sufficient.

"FIRE!" I roared.

And my men fired their rifle as one.

The commanders and the generals who were in the back along with their bodyguards and half a regiment of soldiers gasped as their fellow comrades and subordinates fell like leaves after a great thunder blew over the valley.

"FIRE!"

This time, though, it was not the bullets that fired.

It was the Bomb Arrows!

They struck home at the bodyguards and the half regiment. Explosion ripped their order and discipline apart. Smoke was thrown amidst the dust and the explosion.

I heard Shkifield try to attempt to regain order, but it was too late.

My warriors and I ran towards them, covering the 500 meters of distance they had so carelessly left open in the span of half a minute.

And we burst through the smokes like vengeful ghosts.

My warhammer -as usual- drew the first blood by crushing my target's head into a flat disc.

"[Double Strike]!" I roared as my [temper threshold] began to rise.

The next target, a heavily armored knight with 300 hp, died when my hammer struck twice. His armor didn't shatter, but the concussive blows even made it worse for the knight underneath it when the armor itself bent and caved, leaving no room for his head and torso.

"FOR THE IRONWOOD CLAN!" my warriors roared as they tore into the panicking soldiers.

I threw fireballs after hammer strikes after fireballs without stop.

Shirou was more towards the back, firing his own Bomb Arrows at the soldiers and few cavalry attempting to rescue their lords.

Then I was in reach of one of the generals.

"You filthy monster!" he roared as he struck at me with his great lance.

I ducked underneath his thrust and grabbed the shaft. I broke it and strike with my own warhammer. The general took the thrust to the chest and he gasped as he fell backward.

I jumped on him and crushed his torso.

"Get Shkifield! I want his head!" I roared.

* * *

Christopher laughed even as he killed another one of Shkifield's men. "He came! He came!"

It was a happiness that he could not contain.

The soldiers on the wall was half of what he had and many had already died to keep the wall and its inhabitants safe.

And just when they were about to be overwhelmed by the sheer numbers, Chief Ruto of the Ironwood Clan had appeared to save them.

"PUSH THEM BACK!" he shouted. "Push back the invaders! Open the gates and attack them!"

As per his order, the gate opened.

And the 1,200 men he had kept in reserve charged out as one.

"For the Duke!" his men shouted at the top of their lungs as they hacked and slashed at their enemy. "For our nation!"

* * *

Shkifield glared at the monster that had dared to ruin his life's work.

"I will have this duchy as it is my birthright!" he roared as he pulled up his greatsword and charged. "A monster like you do not deserve a place in my kingdom!"

* * *

I laughed at him.

"Come meet your death, little human!"

**[Temper Broken! Berserker Activated!]**

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 220:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 109  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+510) (+2.25 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+12.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1020(+765 (SGMII))  
DEX: 125  
AGI: 261  
END: 240  
INT: 192  
WIS: 199  
CHA: 113  
Unused Points: 35**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +860**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII)**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 4)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 50) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 33)  
Reinforcement (LvL 9)  
****Sonar (LvL 31)**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 2)**x**  
Archery (LvL 23)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 16)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 30)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 15)**x**  
Charging (LvL 18)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 16) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 11)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 13)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 3)**x  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 2)  
Intimidation (LvL 14)  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 1)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 9)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 1)  
Physical Durability (LvL 37)  
Running (LvL 36)  
Teaching (LvL 7)  
Throwing (LvL 23)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 14)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**34 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
22 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
8 Faze (Candy, Sokar)**(xx)**  
15 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
17 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
19 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
5 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
38 imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
3 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
55 fairies**(x)  
**16 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**23 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (True Race)  
**4 Humans ()** (True Race)

**Imprisoned:  
27 humans**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 500**  
cityPower**: 14

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (cityPower: 14)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Erlen Shkifield's Host to Reclaim Southern Carpathi -1000  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +500 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +800 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -1000 (At War) **(nationalPower: 30)**  
**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Pollodium-Enhanced Ironwood Hammer (Rare)  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Naruto can't buy or sell traits. He can attempt to create quests to remove them or supplement them, but he can't make transcations with them.

*For the last time, Focus is a removed feature.


	39. Chapter 39

**Dragonforce - Seasons**

* * *

**Day 220 (continued):**

I smashed aside another knight and made a quick glance around me even as Shkifield came charging at me.

My warriors had taken full advantage of the surprise attack and had reduced the once 500 strong men to less than a hundred, who were now all scared shitless, and at the same time, suffered less than 5 casualties. I saw the weapons and armor I designed to be superior to the plain steel equipment that Shkifield's soldiers and knights used.

With few exception.

Two of the knights wore armor unlike any other. They also wielded weapons of awkward sizes. Like both of them used weapons that were as wide and tall as themselves. It was only because of their weapons and their strength that my warriors managed to suffer 5 casualties.

Even then, Shirou appeared and shot them down with ease.

Shkifield himself had unique weapon and armor. His greatsword, while not as big as that of the other two knights, glowed blue with power. His armor gave off same sheen.

He was going to be a much better opponent than anyone else.

Or so I would've thought.

No.

Right now, all I saw was red.

I could hear my heart pumping. My glancing around bit was my primal, berserk-induced self looking for prey to crush underneath my hammer.

My bones strained under the power of my own strength and the ground beneath me cracked as I unleashed all limits.

I was _free_.

* * *

Christopher shouted in fury as he and his men struck down more and more of Shkifield's men.

The first one to charge out were the cavalry. Towering over the regular soldiers on their horses, the cavalry thrusted, stabbed, and slashed at the beleaguered foes. Shocked that they had opened their own gate, the invaders died by the dozens in the first five seconds.

But they struck back. Even if their commander was in the back and fighting for his life, that was no excuse for them to dismiss their own orders. In the orderly chaos that was the battlefield, twenty or so of Shkifield's soldiers made it through the line of cavalry to sneak into the city.

Only to meet a wall of tower shields and sabers.

They were cut down instantly.

Once the cavalry had cut out a swath of enemies, the infantry charged out with their own battlecry.

As they charged out of the gate, they used their heavy armor to their advantage to pierce deep. One by one, the mid-level commanders began to fall.

* * *

Shkifield roared as he and two other knights -his two best were dead by that oni archer- struck at the monster leader.

His greatsword, passed down to him from his father, was a magic sword. Capable of multiplying strength and striking force, it was one of the Great Swords of the Andalusian world.

He swung and struck the monster's unprotected neck without mercy.

_Ping _

It bounced off. The very few that weren't immediately deflected by _skin _hung their by the tip of their arrowhead.

He stared for just a moment.

Then he was struck by that monstrous warhammer. He was lifted off his feet and flew.

His two knights charged in before he could warn them off.

The monster struck and yet did not. His body "buzzed" and then suddenly it was behind his two knights.

His knights turned around to strike.

Only to stop as their armors caved in. Blood sprayed out of the holes of their helmet and breastplate as their bodies were crushed underneath their own armor.

Then the monster roared.

The entire bridge upon which the battle was taking place shook from the might of the monster's roar.

"Impossible!" Shkifield hissed defiantly.

Or was it just him that shook?

He quickly stood back up from where he had fallen, and then thanked his forefather for forging the family armor with mithril.

He readied his sword once more, raising it up to his side. "Come at me, monster!"

The monster charged at him with thrice the speed he could hope to muster on a good day without armor and struck.

Shkifield attempted to parry, but the sheer force of the blow carried through even though it was parried. Shkifield would have let out a breath of relief had it not for the monster's demonic strength.

Mid-course of his warhammer being parried, he stopped it and struck back.

With no option left and his body jarring from the previous attack, Shkifield jumped backward. His jump narrowly allowed his head to escape a crushing blow.

The warhammer struck the bridge and a small crater formed.

'This is insane!' Shkifield panicked inside his own head.

The monster's blows were same as that of drakes. With each strike, the monster killed one of his men as if they were naught but leaves in the wind.

Another knight took the blow head-on -very stupid knight- with a tower shield.

The steel shield bent in half and the knight's hand was crushed. He screamed from the pain but he too was silenced like many other when his head was ripped from his head from the monster's warhammer blow.

"Archers, fire!" Shkifield shouted in panic. "There is no way we can kill him upfront!"

Archers did as they were ordered and fired.

If only things were that easy.

The monster took all of the arrows without moving.

It didn't even faze as all arrows slid off from his skin.

It actually made it even angrier.

Its second roar was like the cry of an angry goad. It thundered upon him and his soldiers without mercy. The weak dropped to their knees and soiled themselves and the strong stood frozen.

Even its own allies were frozen.

It was coming for him.

"I..." he hissed. "I refuse...!" he hissed even louder. "I refuse to give up the kingdom my father should have rightfully inherited!" he roared as mana flowed out of him and into his sword. "This is my family's kingdom! It is ours, not that bloody pretender's!"

His sword reacted to his righteous fury and desperation and glowed even brighter.

Without caring about the world around him, Erlen Shkifield charged straight towards the monster, a monster that fit right in with the demons of legends.

Shkifield struck first with a vertical slash. The monster dodged it to its left and swung its warhammer. Shkifield ducked underneath it and pounded it up. The monster's balance was broken.

He struck but the monster had jumped back.

He smirked. "So you know how you can be hurt by the Great Sword of Agatha! The sword that slew demons, dragons, and monsters like yourselves!" he roared triumphantly. "Come and taste this steel, cur!"

This time, the monster struck first.

It was a vertical strike faster than his own. Shkifield jumped to the side, allowing the warhammer to land on the bridge and forming another crater. Shkifield stepped on the warhammer and struck.

The monster let go of the hammer...

And struck back with its fists.

Shkifield had received numerous strikes by the end of the fourth second.

But the monster had gotten its due; it had struck mithril plate with its bare hands. It was bleeding and in some fingers, broken.

It scoffed and picked up the warhammer with its good right hand.

Shkifield readied himself once more as did the monster.

They charged each other.

It became a dance between two powerful beings. Shkifield struck with elegance and skillfully like any knight of his skill would have. The monster, on the other hand, was powerful. Each of its swing was a deadly attack that would have killed him without a second chance.

And yet, they danced. Shkifield dodged all of the monster's strikes, but he never dodged it with a good gap for safety. No, all of his dodges were narrowly done.

They broke apart and charged each other again.

The battlefield stilled as one last resounding clash of metals met.

Shkifield smirked.

He had wounded this great beast. It now bore a wide open wound on its face crossing the entire width of its face beneath its eyes.

Then he faltered. He felt great pain in his chest but no obvious wound.

"Wah...?"

His armor had protected him! His mithril armor that not even dragonfire could penetrate! He had no wound on him! He didn't feel-!

He faltered even more as he saw where the monster had struck him.

He smirked again as he saw the monster's warhammer fall apart from having struck mithril full plate armor with such a force.

So...

Why was he on his knees and not the monster?

He spewed and saw his own blood raining out of his mouth.

"H-How...?" he gasped when the rain of blood spewing from his mouth had ended. "My ... armor ... is ... mithril...!"

The monster scoffed again.

* * *

My mind had returned. I was now in full control.

It was actually scary how powerful I was. Shkifield, I hate you for invading my home, but I have to respect you for your skill and strength. The bastard was still talking about taking such a hit! I'm sure his armor helped, but still!

Thank whatever god lived here because I hadn't hurt any of my warriors this time. If they got in the way...

I shuddered. I didn't want to think about that.

But those thoughts could be brought up later. I had an idiot to bash.

"What happens if you put a fragile glass in the strongest container in the world and drop it?" I asked him.

The man's eyes widened comically.

I laughed at his face.

"Oh, you stupid little thing. You charged in to give me this," I pointed to my very, _very _painful wound on my face. "And now, you kneel before me. I'm actually surprised you lived. I struck you with enough power to kill you thrice over. Your armor must be really something. Maybe I should take it and have it made for myself."

"Don't ... you ... dare...!" Shkifield hissed, but it proved to be too much. More blood flowed forth from his mouth.

"Tsk, idiot," I said.

With my piece said...

I placed my hand on top of his head and removed his helmet.

Now that I was close to him, I realized that Shkifield was not as young as Christopher. Instead, he looked like he was in his late 30's to early 40's. He had a clean shaved face, but no one can get rid of those forehead wrinkles. He had the same shade of blonde hair as Christopher. But he had slightly darker shade of skin and his eyes were grey, not blac-.

_STAB_

I halted for a second and looked down.

Shkifield had stabbed me with his glowing sword in my moment of distraction.

I now had a sword as long as the bastard's leg in my gut.

And he was smirking at me.

And spat in my face, directly on my wound open.

"Fuck ... you..."

My eyes twitched.

_"Feel pain."_

I grabbed his head, lifted him up, and squeezed.

Shkifield screamed as I crushed his skull in slowly. He struck at my hands and forearm even though moving in and of itself was killing him faster. He screamed and screamed, spewing blood from his mouth like it was nobody's business.

I got tired quickly of the screaming and kitty paw strikes. And my face and stomach were hurting.

_Squelch_

I cackled a little as I let the man go, his head now a deformed mess. He dropped to the floor unceremoniously. I projected a knife, sliced the man's head off, got a nearby spear, and staked the head on top of the spear. Satisfied with my work, I looked around the battlefield and saw the still frozen soldiers.

I pulled out the sword and hefted it over my shoulder.

"Well? Surrender or die! I don't have all day, weaklings!"

It's a shame that my hammer broke.

"Or do you want to see exactly how I chop up little bitches like yourselves?" I asked threateningly as I spun the still blue light-glowing sword that used to be Shkifield's. "Well!?"

* * *

**And that's the end of the First War Arc, or as many of you will remember it, Shkifield Arc. **

**I hope you enjoyed it this far, and I'll be seeing you later.**

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 220:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 109  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+510) (+2.25 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+12.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1020(+765 (SGMII))  
DEX: 125  
AGI: 261  
END: 240  
INT: 192  
WIS: 199  
CHA: 113  
Unused Points: 35**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +860**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII)**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 4)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 50) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 33)  
Reinforcement (LvL 9)  
****Sonar (LvL 31)**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 2)**x**  
Archery (LvL 23)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 16)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 30)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 15)**x**  
Charging (LvL 18)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 16) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 11)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 13)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 3)**x  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 2)  
Intimidation (LvL 14)  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 1)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 9)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 1)  
Physical Durability (LvL 37)  
Running (LvL 36)  
Teaching (LvL 7)  
Throwing (LvL 23)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 14)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**31 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
19 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
8 Faze (Candy, Sokar)**(xx)**  
15 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
17 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
19 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
5 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
38 imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
3 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
55 fairies**(x)  
**16 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**23 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (True Race)  
**4 Humans ()** (True Race)

**Imprisoned:  
27 humans**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 500**  
cityPower**: 14

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (cityPower: 14)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Erlen Shkifield's Host to Reclaim Southern Carpathi -1000  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +500 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +800 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -1000 (At War) **(nationalPower: 30)**  
**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Pollodium-Enhanced Ironwood Hammer (Rare)  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Fine, I concede. I will try to increase chapter length by about five hundred to a thousand per chapter. However, I will not expand beyond this.

*I do intend for Ruto to gain more traits and traits will change over time due to his own actions and the actions of others. But it is a gradual change, not a sudden one.


	40. Chapter 40

**Day 221:**

My eyes snapped open and I blinked rapidly.

The sunlight drafting through the thin curtains was bothering my-.

...

Sunlight?

Curtains?

My quarter didn't have the latter.

I sat up, and realized that the bed I had been on was also very comfortable.

Then I saw the nicely decorated and spacious room. There was a small drawer next to the bed that I was on with a vase of flowers.

"...Where am I?"

The door creaked open, and a human maid dressed in blue and white came in. She saw me, bowed ninety degrees, and hurried out.

...

"Seriously, where am I?"

Then the door opened again.

This time, Shirou came in.

"Looks like the battle did take a chunk out of you," he said as he projected a chair and sat down on it.

"...Last thing I remember was demanding the invaders to surrender."

"And you did. And then you came into the city as a hero, had a huge party, and got drunk. The last part may be why you don't remember."

"Huh."

"Also..."

"?"

Shirou projected a mirror and showed it to me.

"Your body did heal, but not completely."

What I saw on the mirror was my face with a scar running across upper cheeks and my nose.

Ping! Ping!

**[You now have a scar from a victorious battle! Now go tell your grandchildren about how you got it!]  
[Achievement: Victory Scar!]  
[Fame: +50]**

**[You chopped off a head and staked it on top of a stick!]  
[Achievement: Headhunter!]  
[Infamy: +100]**

Ping!

**[Battle of Ironwood City **  
**Victory against Vastly Numerically Superior Army: +100,000 EXP**  
**Enemy Chief Commander Killed : +50,000 EXP**  
**Broke Enemy Morale: +2,500 EXP**  
**Enemy Casualties x10 Yours: +5,000 EXP**  
**Enemy Casualties x20 Yours: +25,000 EXP**  
**Persons of Importance Captured: +1,000 EXP per titled prisoner**  
**Persons of Non-Importance Captured: +50 EXP per prisoner**

**Total LvL gained: 9]**

"And those late alerts are coming in again," I muttered to myself. I turned to Shirou and nodded. "Thanks for telling me, Shirou."

"No problem," he said as he dematerialized the hand mirror. "So what're going to do now?"

I scratched the back of my head as I thought. "I suppose we'll go back to Ironwood City today or tomorrow, spread the good news, and rest for a week before we actually do something."

He nodded. "I'll be waiting outside." He stood and left, but right after he left, a butler entered by the doorway. The butler bowed to me, which I returned with a nod once he straightened himself.

"Chief Ruto, sir, my liege wishes to meet with you."

* * *

"Was the celebration yesterday a bit too much for you?" Duke Christopher Zepolya, my only international ally and recently a new friend of mine, chuckled as he had his maids bring out some teas. "Please, take a seat."

We were in the same room as last time when I had first come to his city and then his citadel. I suppose this was his meeting room.

"Bah, I just overextended myself," I excused myself as I sat down. "So what were the casualties of this battle?"

He smiled. "Straight to the point as usual, I see," he replied. "Very well. I lost a little over a thousand men in the battle, more than half of my garrison here. From what I know, you have lost less than 10 people. On the other hand, Shkifield himself is dead and his army had been nearly annihilated with more than 4,000 dead and 500 captured. The rest fled, and my spies have reported just this morning that they are making their way back into Galburia."

I nodded. That was good news. Christopher and I could use the time we bought to better prepare our defenses. Preferably, the next few battles won't have to -.

"The war is also over."

I blinked.

"Wait, what?"

"With Shkifield dead, Galburia has no legitimate reason to continue their support of the war. I expect them to withdraw from the war within the week. If not, then they will face the ire of the neighboring nations by continuing a war without casus belli."

"Casus belli?"

"Reason for war."

"A reason for war, huh?" I repeated.

It was actually good news.

Christopher let out a relieved grin. "I'm just happy both of us survived. I thought I was going to die in that battle."

I laughed. "Like I'd let ya!" I replied. "You're my ally, Zepolya. I don't intend to let you down so easily."

He smiled genuinely. "It's good to know you have my back. On that note..."

"Hmm?"

"Would it be possible to have my family's treasure back?"

"I have your family's treasure?"

"The Great Sword of Agatha and the Mithril Armor Set of Zepolya."

"Ah, those..."

Those were some of the greatest weapons and armor I had seen in this world so far. They were also my loot...

I thought about it. I could tell that Christopher was nervous about the subject. He obviously didn't want to make me mad right after a "stunning" performance like yesterday, but if what I had were truly his family's treasures, then he couldn't just _not _ask.

"How about this?"

* * *

Shirou glared at me.

"What?"

It must have been funny to others. An oni barely six feet tall was glaring up at me, who was more than 10 feet tall. And I was acting like a kid who got caught with a hand in the cookie jar.

It must be, because the tavern's patrons were snickering at us.

"W-Well," I stuttered. "I exchanged the armor and weapon for some prisoners and land."

"You-!"

"The land that you know, our kobold miners wanted to dig out because of pollodium there, but couldn't because it wasn't our land?"

He stopped for a moment before nodding. "At least you aren't dumb."

"Oi, I have a very high intelligence."

"Which is nothing if you don't use it." After a moment, he sat back down. "So, why did you ask for prisoners?"

"Well, most of those who we caught in the battle yesterday were regular soldiers and few conscript levies and farmers. I heard from the Duke that if no one came to claim them, then they will probably rot in the dungeons somewhere. Or they'll be sent to labor camps."

Shirou's eyes narrowed. "Slavery?"

"No. He said that they'll serve for a set amount of time before they are released. If they are not worth it, then they'll be kicked back out into their home country. Besides, prisoners are only part of the deal. He'll be giving us a dozen horses for our use. This way, we can make patrols more easily or just get to places faster. But there will be no more war, by the way."

"Why's that?"

"Because Shkifield is dead. Apparently, nations here need a reason to go to war, and Shkifield's claim to the Duchy was exactly that. With him gone, Galburia doesn't have the casus belli. Also from what the Duke told me, Galburia is currently in a very severe drought and internal tensions are high."

"How so?"

"Well, coupled with the drought, Galburian nobles, according to Christopher, are seeking to overthrow their incompetent king. Something about how he didn't agree with them or joined a war -like ours- that didn't bring the country any profit. Nobles are also extracting any tax they can from the drought-struck farmers and peasants as well to fund their 'possible civil war.'"

Shirou growned. "I can guess how those all contribute to tension," he replied. "So what? You're rescuing the prisoners?"

"Not exactly."

"...Well?"

"We give them a chance. Before we admit them, you use your [Structural Analysis] to see their history. If they are good people, then we bring them into our city as prison-laborers for a few months. If they behave and show a willingness to join, then we accept them. Otherwise, we can send them back here. If we're good with them, then it's possible that we'll get more people to join our city. If there's more people, then that also means more people to help us with defense, patrol, mining, and farming."

Shirou looked like he was thinking about it before he nodded. "But you better not just dump them on me."

I grinned. "Oh, I don't intend to give their 'rehabilitation' duty to you. I have someone else in mind." Then I paused. "Oh, and by the way, we're going to need more pollodium."

"Why's that?"

I hesitated before I pulled out the broken remains of my hammer.

"I ... uh ... may have struck the mithril armor a bit too hard when I was in my berserker state."

He raised an eyebrow. "I assume you want me to upgrade this."

"Uh... yeah."

"Then you'll have to do something for me, both for myself and your hammer."

"Okay..." I replied hesitantly.

"Within our territory, find our clan another dig site. According to Dresa, the current mine is running thin and too deep to be efficient. With your land acquisition, we got pollodium down, but now we need some other stuff, like titanium, iron, and whatnot."

**[Quest: Mining out the Goods**

**Requirement: **  
***Find a mining site.**  
***Find a method of transportation.**

**Reward:**  
***Shirou fixes and upgrades your hammer.**  
***City's production output x1.5]**

"Sure."

* * *

_**The Aftermath**_

_With Erlen Shkifield slain on the battlefield, his followers and ally, Kingdom of Galburia, lost the casus belli for their war against the Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi and its ruler, Christopher Zepolya. Unwilling to incur the wrath of its neighbors by continuing a meaningless war, Galburia pulled out of the war, resulting in a white peace between the two nations._

_Shkifield's followers, on the other hand, had dispersed. His promise of a better future, of riches, of life, and of prosperity no longer attainable with his death. Of the nine thousand that had followed him into the Valleys of Carpathi, 4,000 had been his followers. Of those 4,000, only 800 were able to escape the Battle of Pset alive. 2,480 of them had perished in the two battles and the numerous ambushes and skirmishes._

_Galburia's own reinforcements had been ravished down to a few hundred survivors._

_As a result of this war, Galburia had lost 3,000 men in the southeastern frontier, and half of that in the southwestern frontier of the war._

_Coupled with the most devastating drought of the last three century and the harshness of the Galburian nobles to the commoners in the face of such devastating consequences and disasters, it would be a catalyst for a civil war that would eventually rip apart the near-empire level kingdom to much smaller states._

_On top of that, its rival Somberas Republic of Unity and Power as well as the Nation of Tyronia would declare war upon the war-torn kingdom, resulting in a three-way war._

_By the end of the one year, twenty-nine way civil war, and invasion Kingdom of Galburia would lose over half of its former territories, including all of its coastal regions, all of its western regions to both rebellions and Somberas, and the entire southern regions to Tyronia. As a result, the Kingdom of Galburia would fall from its goldern era and become a secondary power in the world of Andalusia for centuries to come._

_At the same time, Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi would experience the beginning of its own golden era with the help of its newfound ally, the Ironwood Clan._

_Ironwood Clan would become an important clan in the history to come, but not yet._

* * *

**Map of Andalusia after the Galburian Civil-Invasion War**  
imgur .com irB4CL

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 220:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 118  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+532.5) (+2.25 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+12.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1065(+798.75 (SGMII))  
DEX: 134  
AGI: 261  
END: 260  
INT: 192  
WIS: 199  
CHA: 113  
Unused Points: 89**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +910  
Infamy: +100**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII)**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 4)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 50) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 33)  
Reinforcement (LvL 9)  
****Sonar (LvL 31)**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 2)**x**  
Archery (LvL 23)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 16)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 30)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 15)**x**  
Charging (LvL 18)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 16) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 11)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 13)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 3)**x  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 2)  
Intimidation (LvL 14)  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 1)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 9)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 1)  
Physical Durability (LvL 37)  
Running (LvL 36)  
Teaching (LvL 7)  
Throwing (LvL 23)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 14)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan:**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**31 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
19 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
8 Faze (Candy, Sokar)**(xx)**  
15 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
17 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
19 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
5 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
38 imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
3 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
55 fairies**(x)  
**16 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**23 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (True Race)  
**4 Humans ()** (True Race)

**Imprisoned:  
27 humans**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 500**  
cityPower**: 14

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (cityPower: 14)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +500 (Vassal)  
Erlen Shkifield's Host to Reclaim Southern Carpathi -1000  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +500 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +800 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -1000 (At War) **(nationalPower: 30)**  
**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Pollodium-Enhanced Ironwood Hammer (Rare)  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Fine, I concede. I will try to increase chapter length by about five hundred to a thousand per chapter. However, I will not expand beyond this.

*I do intend for Ruto to gain more traits and traits will change over time due to his own actions and the actions of others. But it is a gradual change, not a sudden one.


	41. Chapter 41

**Put a link for Re:Gamer's latest map update.**

**Ironwood Clan is now noteworthy on the map! Huzzah!**

* * *

**Interlude:**

My name is Boman, son of Sohan.

I was a farmer from the Kingdom of Galburia. I joined a man's war against his own cousin for the seat of the Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi.

The man failed.

In the wake of the man's failure, my comrades and I were caught by the forces of those who we had invaded and monsters whose power we could not comprehend.

Again, I am a farmer, not an adventurer.

For two days, I sat in my cell with three strangers, who were also part of the invasion force.

"So what were you before you ... you know, joined Shki?" I asked my cell mates.

The biggest of us spoke. "I was a knight under the Duke of Yalvaria, but I was scapegoated into leaving his service. I became a hedge knight, and Shkifield found me with three others."

"I was a farmer," I admitted. "The drought got my entire village. There were maybe a handful when Shkifield came around."

"Name is Xumalhoof," the only tauren in the cell added. "I am a warrior of the Highhoof clan."

"Still is?"

Xumalhoof nodded. "Warriors of the Highhoof clan remain a warrior of the Highhoof clan unless we killed our own clanmate. My clan came from the mountains of the Yalvaria, so I guess we were near each other, Sir Knight."

The knight waved it off. "I am just a prisoner now. No need for sirs."

"If you insist."

...

"So what do you think they're going to do to us?" I asked them.

It was the knight who answered. "Normally, they will sell us off to mines owned by other nobles or merchants. Thankfully, the Duchy here has a law about that. No slaves or serfs. Something about 'enlightenment' and being an 'obstruction to advancement.'"

Xumalhoof scoffed. "Doesn't stop other kings and nobles from enslaving others."

"Just goes to show what kind of a duke we tried to kill."

There was silence.

"I think ... it's possible that we may be sent to work in the farms for a few years. I heard that the worst punishment was hanging, though."

I turned to the knight. "How is that better than slavery?"

"When a fat man stands over you and shoves his dick into you, then you'll know."

Maybe I didn't want to know.

I sighed. "Still..."

The knight shook his head. "I will take my punishment. I chose to come here."

"Hah!"

Everyone in the cell looked to the cell across from them.

There were three people there. And two of them was staring at the last.

The man being stared at had the look of another knight, well groomed -if sweaty and dirty from the battle- and muscular from training.

"Shut it, Salas, you traitor!" the knight in the same cell as me growled. "At least I don't fuck my own sister to death!"

"And you never had the guts to propose!"

The knight spat at the ground. "That bastard is the reason why I was kicked out," he growled. "Knight Salas de Volais, son of Duke of Yalveria. He put the blame on my shoulder and had me exiled!"

Okay, that was sick.

"Did your daddy find out about your little sin?!" knight in my cell hissed. "From what I heard, you were being pushed around by lil' hedge knights like myself!"

"Shut up, peasant!" de Valois shot up. "You're nothing but-!"

He continued to rant, and as such did not notice his cell mates nod to each other. They each held up a rock and smashed them into the back of the knight's head. The disgrace of a knight shuddered before he slumped forward.

We all stared.

"W-Why?!" I asked.

One of the shrugged as he dropped the rock. "The worst that can happen to me is a hanging. I don't mind. I have nothing left anyway."

The other one dropped the rock as well with a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I agree with partner here. At least like this, this bastard won't ever go back out there."

I stared in horror few hours later when they were dragged out of their cells and executed.

* * *

They called us out. They took my entire cell out while taking only one from bastard knight's cell. Knight remained. Apparently, no one cared for a little corpse of a bastard.

I hung my head in despair and made a prayer to God, begging for forgiveness and a second chance.

When I stepped out of the prison tower...

I was greeted by the same monster who I had spotted in the battle.

They were going to send me to him.

They were going to send me to a monster capable of ripping my limbs off. Capable of crushing my skull with one hand and ripping off my balls in the other.

I was _soooooooo _screwed.

The troll stared at each of us before he scoffed. He walked off and an oni taller than most of us walked up to us. He stared at each of us, maybe fifty of us total. It took sometime, but by the end of it, he seemed satisfied with us.

"Listen up!" he shouted in human common tongue with a tinge of Carpathian accent, which was a little bit of pop after the 'P.' "My name is Shirou! I am second in command of the Ironwood Clan, the very tribe that had mustered less than a quarter of its total warriors to decimate all of yours armies! I don't think I need to explain more about what we can do now, do I?!"

...

A quarter? Less than a QUARTER?

I didn't know when my leg had started shaking.

"As much as I am very displeased with this, all of you will be joining me and my Chief in our journey back to our city, Ironwood City!" he explained to all of us. "So I will explain exactly _how _you may earn your freedom!"

All of us looked at him with a dash of hope and a spark of doubt.

"You respect the few laws we have! You will not rape, murder, steal, or bully another, no matter their race, gender, or age!"

Pretty simple.

"You will not betray the clan! Any attempt to do so will result in immediate expulsion from the clan by magic itself!"

"Once you have worked for us for at least five years honestly and in earnest, you will be given a choice: either you can remain with the Ironwood Clan or to leave. Be warned, I will be applying magic runes to you to prevent any form of information about my clan from leaking out!"

Then he stopped and frowned.

"But aside from that, I welcome to the clan. Form up a line and get your rune tattoo."

* * *

After that, we were taken out of Pset towards the Ironwood Clan's Ironwood City.

It was a two day long walking-pace march.

During that time, we were provided with jerky and many different mountain berries. Some of them I was familiar with, and others I was not familiar with. They tasted good, so I didn't complain.

Actually, I didn't complain because I was scared shitless of them.

At the end of our march, we came across a mountain standing in the middle of a huge valley. We went up on a winding road that went around and around the entire mountain.

We passed by wooden spikes that had blood stain on them and a few spears with numerous helmets formerly used by Shkifield's army.

I realized where the other battle had taken place.

It had taken place right here in front of Ironwood Clan's own home, and Shkifield's other army was decimated for it.

Then we saw the city itself.

It had a strong cobblestone wall. It was not like the magnificent wall of Pset that could outlast kingdoms, but it was a sturdy wall for something that was supposedly built in a few days.

We were led inside.

And what I saw shocked me to the core.

There were fairies in several dozens. They were all flying around and mingling happily.

And they looked at us True Races as if we were hostile.

The fairies, the goodness of nature, stared at us as if we were going to harm them!

And then there were the Greater Fairies.

It was said in my hometown that if a Greater Fairy showed itself to you, you must be pure of heart or beloved of nature.

And there were three of them in here.

And they stared at us as if we were hostile, too.

It wasn't just me. Most of us former Shkifield soldiers looked like they were feeling the same thing.

Then one of us saw a dryad.

She had flowing brown hair and a curvaceous body covered barely by brown leaves like a dress made for her and her only.

Then there was a snap and I was pulled out of my daze.

Shirou, the supposedly second in command of this entire city filled with beauties, monsters, and powerhouses, had a ... paper fan(?) in his hand. "We don't have time for all of you to just keep on staring at our only dryad clan member! We need to start making those houses for you, and I will not have you guys slacking off!"

...

Was this a good thing or a bad thing?

* * *

I woke up and found myself staring up at a wooden ceiling. Its criss-cross pattern was familiar and at the same time new. I pushed myself up and sat there.

I looked around.

My room was bare. It had a desk, a chair, a wardrobe, a bed, and a nightstand.

I never had so much furniture before.

When I was a farmer in Galburia, I had a bed and a rack the family used as a wardrobe. A desk and a chair for myself? A whole wardrobe, however bland and boring others call it, to myself? I never had such luxury.

Realizing that the sun was already above the horizon, I quickly dressed in my work outfit, consisting of a pair of linen shortpants, a linen shirt, and a knapsack. I gave my room a glance before I left, "locking" the door with the key I had been provided.

"Hey man!"

I jolted and turned around.

There was a green-skinned troll behind me a big grin on his face. This was Raoll. He worked in the garden with me.

"Hi," I responded. "Had a good night?"

The troll scoffed. "Hell no, man. Let me tell you how it feels like to live with a kid. They never stop crying! Every night, I have to wake up..." and on and on and on as we walked towards the garden.

I smiled without actually paying attention to the details of his rant.

Soon, we were joined by few others who now worked in the gardens. Some of them were like me, a "prisoner" from the Shkifield War. Rest were other ... people. Like Raoll here.

...

We laughed and talked as we made our way...

And I never felt so free.

Am I really a prisoner here?


	42. Chapter 42

**This is the start of a new arc! **

**I hope you enjoy this, because this arc is called...**

* * *

_**The First Expansion Arc**_

* * *

**Day 224:  
**

When we returned, we were greeted by a very eager and cheerful crowd. Iskan took the cheers of his name with a grin.

Shirou didn't seem to care much.

Candy looked happy... as far as her expressionless and featureless face could show.

And me?

I enjoyed it too. I regaled the (censored) version of my battle with the horrible Shkifield the Invader.

There were also four more babies in the clan, one troll and three onis.

However, during the night, we lit a bonfire for the funeral of our clanmates who fell in battle.

Again, Shirou took up the role of the eulogist.

* * *

**Day 225:**

I took the day off. I just rolled in my bed, ate, and slept. I think I deserve it.

But I did notice that Senna was busy with more people.

What did I put in charge of ...?

Ah, right. Recruitment.

So more people are joining the clan/city? That's good.

Now, where's that cookie Shirou left behind?

* * *

**Day 229:**

Today, I intended to do one of two things.

Either fix my hammer (or get a new one) or find that new mining site.

I had talked to Dresa yesterday, and the problem was more severe than Shirou had suggested. After we had made all of those armor sets, shields, weapons, and few other farming tools, our supply of iron had basically fallen to zero.

Yeah.

Not good.

The reason why the iron was also used for farming tool was because while we can grow all of the food in the world, we still had to cut it down. For their good nature, ability to control plants, and be the sweethearts of the clan, fairies and their kin were ... physically weak. They also couldn't ask plants to cut themselves off.

So other races in the clan had to. And plants were tough.

Naturally, Shirou and the other crafters of the clan, which was really just me and him, came up with the sickle and hoe. They weren't a revolutionary or new idea, so it was more like us copying designs.

Eh. It's just sickles and hoes. No one cares about those.

Still, this left us with a lack of iron for future use, and we needed more of it.

Especially since...

"Chief Ruto!"

I looked up from the map I was looking, trying to determine where iron deposits might exist. I was looking at the map because I was not going to dig up holes everywhere. It would ruin the landscape and the environment. The fairykin of my clan also asked me to not just dig everything up when I asked them about possible iron deposits.

"Yes?" I answered to the troll that had just knocked on my quarter's door.

"We got more!"

I sighed.

This was the reason why we need more.

I stood up from my chair and desk and walked out of my room. I opened the door, greeted the messenger troll, and I followed him.

He led me out of my fort and into the street. Then we reached the gate with a short walk.

And outside of it?

Clan-member-hopefuls.

Ever since I had defeated Shkifield and shown off prowess that -according to Shkifield- was hard to find even among famous adventurers, monster tribes from all over the region had started to immigrate.

To where?

To my city.

"Hello," I greeted this batch of immigrants. "And what tribe might you be?"

This tribe consisted mostly of dwarves , so it was odd receiving such a tribe. Or was this an entire village? Still, they looked ragged, dirty, and hardy. Something must have happened to them.

"Me and me tribe here came to ask fo' your protection, Chief of the Ironwood," the lead dwarf said with a gruff. He wore a simple iron helmet, chestplate that barely covered his chest, and a pair of thick leather pants. His shoe was worn and stained with dirt all over the place.

"And why should I grant you my protection?" I asked them.

I must stress the point that I don't dish out my protection to random tribes and peoples. While I would like to provide protection to many as possible in a world that seems to kill small people, I can't just do that without something in return.

The dwarf grunted. "We can work fo' you and your clan, if you'd like."

"And what would that entail?"

"Mining, of course!" the dwarf said proudly. "There's no one who can beat a dwarf in finding precious gems under the mountains!"

"I have kobolds for that."

The dwarf looked affronted. "Kobolds?! Ye be hiring those wretched skin eaters for yer mining? Are you mad, lad?"

I narrowed my eyes and activated [Intimidation]. "Don't assume the worst of me or my clan, _dwarf_. All of the kobolds in my clan are civil people."

The dwarf backed up with his hands in a placating manner. "I ain't complaining, Chief," he said hurriedly. "It's just ... surprising."

I shrugged as I released the skill.

"We can make good mines, if you also want."

That had my attention. "How do you intend to do so?" I asked him.

"We can find whatever you want and bring 'em to ya, we can," the dwarf chief said. "Diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, you name it! But don't expect us to find mithril everyday or every year for that matter. Those shit are rarer than a virgin nun."

"...How about iron?"

"Iron?"

* * *

With a few more negotiations, the dwarvish tribe of Dhan'Thal have come under my protection. They even settled right at the bottom of the mountain -on the other side from the Bullywug Swamp Valleys.

We agreed that I would provide protection to the Dhan'Thal tribe and I would rule over fairly. In return, the Dhan'Thal tribe would work with the miners of the Ironwood City to mine out precious gems and other materials. Both would follow the laws set forth by myself but the tribe would have a representation in the small chiefs council. This person would be the "lawyer" of the tribe, whose name was Golthaum, son of Golt, the chieftain of the Dhan'Thal.

So despite living separately, we were close enough for materials to be exchanged daily up and down the mountain(they were going to install something called an elevator, which Shirou absolutely loved). In the end, the dwarvish tribe ended up being an extension of the city. But because they were on the opposite side from the bullywugs and the latter was cut off from the dwarves by the mountains, it was unlikely we had too much to worry about.

Thinking of which, bullywugs have been silent in the past few months.

The last time I saw a bullywug was right before the first invasion of Shkifield.

"I wonder where they went," I muttered to myself as I finished helping the Dhan'Thal for the day. I headed back into my city.

"Chief Ruto!"

I stopped and turned to a duo of beastkin.

Beastkin were part of the tribes and some of the prisoners who had joined my clan. They looked like human but had animal features. Sometimes, it would be small as a dog ear or big as a wolf's head. They all had human hands, feet, limbs, and body. Most of them had either canine or feline features to them, which made them easy to distinguish from the taurens and kobolds.

The duo that approached me had wolf tails and ears.

"Yes?"

"Train us, please!"

I blinked. "You can join me and the others when we do our training," I told them and they went off with grins on their face. "The clan won't mind having more warriors."

"Chief Ruto!"

I turned to my right and saw Urill, a Greater Fairy. To Urill's right was one of the two male Greater Fairies, Sa.

Yeah, just Sa.

"We're going to get married! Please come to our wedding."

"Okay. I'll even bring a gift for you."

"Chief Ruto!"

"Chief Ruto!"

"Chief Ruto!"

...

Dear Lord...

I have created a monster.

* * *

**Day 234:**

I managed to escape the city today, leaving everything to my small chiefs. Maybe I need to appoint more small chiefs later for the new races, but eh. I could do that tomorrow.

With the new mining site solved and a steady inflow of materials began to flow in. With the new ores and materials, Shirou and I worked together this time to forge ourselves new weapons. Shirou made himself a pair of ... magical, floating, auto-targeting red lances he called "Gae-Bolg II" and I made myself even greater and bigger version of my previous hammer. And because Shirou said all good weapons have names, I named my new warhammer as well.

Dhan'Thal tribe's blacksmiths were very impressed by what we made.

* * *

**[Gae Bolg II: the Vengeful Pair**  
**Creator: Shirou**  
_While it's not as good as the original, it's good enough for Shirou._  
***Properties: Constantly floating. Controlled mentally by Shirou. **  
***Properties: Depending on how much mana is added before a fight, acceleration can be adjusted.**  
***Properties: 75 physical damage + 10 magic damage per strike**  
***Properties: Being struck by this weapon paints a "target" upon the target, reducing Shirou's mental concentration needed for the spears by half.**

**Ingrediants:**  
***1 Void Stone**  
***10 Pollodium Ingots**  
***40 hours of work]**

* * *

**[Peacemaker**  
**Creator: Ruto**  
_The successor to the original, Ruto's new warhammer packs even more punch than before._  
***Properties: +750 STR required to use.**  
***Properties: 300 physical damage **  
***Properties: Blunt Weaponry skill effects are doubled when using them with this warhammer**

**Ingrediants:**  
***50 Pollodium Ingots**  
***100 hours of work]**

* * *

Today? I was going to test them out!

On what?

No, no, no.

On _who_.

I was going to test it on the bullywugs.

* * *

**Omake:**  
**Blacksmith Gyule's Daily Life**

Blacksmithing was an art.

_CLANG_

The art of forging steel to your will was something only magic could match.

It required years of dedication.

_CLANG_

It required intense concentration.

_CLANG_

And above all, it required the smith to make a profound creation.

_CLANG_

I have been blacksmith for more than five years in my former home, and yet, I have not seen anyone quite like Small Chief Shirou and his skills with smithing.

_CLANG_

There was no one quite like Small Chief Shirou.

_CLANG_

His ideas on everything was years beyond anything I have heard.

_CLANG_

He made schools for all races.

_CLANG_

He forged weapons for all of his clan.

_CLANG_

And he was great at anything he did.

_CLANG_

I wiped the beads of sweat on my forehead with my arm as I carefully but quickly dunked the forged steel into water. I pulled it out less than ten second later before pounding at it again.

It was going to be complete soon.

_CLANG_

_CLANG_

_CLANG_

_CLANG_

_CLANG!_

I paused and looked.

I had set out today to create a curved longsword. I wanted to make it and earn "Master Smith" Shirou's approval.

For some reason though, I think he would approve of the title he earned among his blacksmiths than the sword I made.

Again, I set to create a curved longsword, and I had done it.

The sword's was twice as long as my own arm, but thanks to the light weight property of Ironwood Steel -Bless Chief Ruto- and the relative narrow width of the blade, it was both light and sturdy.

"Too long."

I jolted and whipped around.

Small chief Shirou had been watching me in my smithy.

Dear God.

"T-Too long?" I managed to get out.

He nodded. "Outside of Ruto, that blade will be too big. Also with Ruto's strength, even if he did wield it, the blade is too thin, so it'll break after two or three strikes. That's one of the reasons why he uses a warhammer. I don't think he chose his warhammer intentionally, though. Something closer to an instinct, I suppose."

"O-Oh," I muttered. "Then how can I improve it?"

"Shorten its length and thicken its width. That way, the weight of the blade will be the same but it'll become more wieldable. You can also try to ..."

Like I said, I think he's the best in the clan.

Best smithy, that is.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 220:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 118  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+532.5) (+2.25 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+12.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1065(+798.75 (SGMII))  
DEX: 134  
AGI: 261  
END: 260  
INT: 192  
WIS: 199  
CHA: 113  
Unused Points: 89**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +910  
Infamy: +100**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII)**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 4)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 50) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 33)  
Reinforcement (LvL 9)  
****Sonar (LvL 31)**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 2)**x**  
Archery (LvL 23)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 16)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 30)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 15)**x**  
Charging (LvL 18)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 16) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 11)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 13)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 3)**x  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 2)  
Intimidation (LvL 14)  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 1)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 9)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 1)  
Physical Durability (LvL 37)  
Running (LvL 36)  
Teaching (LvL 7)  
Throwing (LvL 23)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 14)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**69 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
59 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
10 Faze (Candy, Sokar)**(xx)**  
19 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
32 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
38 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
12 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
51 Imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
4 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
70 Fairies**(x)  
**18 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**30 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (True Race)  
**57 Humans ()** (True Race)  
**7 Taurens (****Xumalhoof****)** (True Race)  
**27 Beastkins ()** (True Race)  
**45 Grey Dwarves(Golt, Golthaum)** (True Race)

**Warrior Count:** 108

**Total: **484

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 1500**  
regionalPower**: 2.0

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 2.0)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +700 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +600 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 30)**  
**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Pollodium-Enhanced Ironwood Hammer (Rare)  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Ironwood Clan is now a regionalPower. Yay!

*Fixed link for map on profile.

*Also, evolution will be EXTREMELY slow for Ruto from this point on. Like he'll evolve at LvL 1000. He'll have mini-evolution between, but those come closer to upgrades to the current race than anything. LvL 1000 evolution will also serve as the last evolution.

*Before you type out about sword designs and anything like that, please understand that every single chapter and every single perspective does not have your knowledge or access to information. Most of the clan members were literally monsters before Shirou and Ruto (mostly Shirou) civilized them.


	43. Chapter 43

**This is the start of a new arc! **

**I hope you enjoy this, because this arc is called...**

* * *

_**The First Expansion Arc**_

* * *

**Day 234(continued):  
**

I jumped down the mountain like a man -troll- possessed.

It was just too exciting to test a new weapon against an old enemy.

Namely, the bullywugs.

I stomped over a fallen oak, breaking in half with my strength and weight as I finally landed on the bottom ground of the Bullywug Swamp Valleys.

...

It was silent.

I hefted the warhammer over my shoulder and marched onward.

Ah, old memories were coming back.

I fought a horde of bullywugs and a basilisk here when I didn't even have a proper weapon like Peacemaker. Ah, good times. I actually had to be careful. In fact, I do remember a couple of times when I almost did die.

To bullywugs.

Indeed, I remember how several of their archers ambushed me when I laid siege to their city, the one before Shirou blew up the other.

...

I stopped and stared at what remained of the bullywug fort. There were barely any rock here now. There were few skeletons left, but most of the cobblestone the bullywugs had used to attempt to build a fort were scattered. There were many a craters here too. Mostly from Shirou and my Bomb Arrows.

They hadn't come back here for ... what, three months now?

Seriously, were they that scared of me? This is nothing like what I heard about bullywugs. Weren't they supposed to be persistent?

Well, they did show theirs to me and my clan when they tried to set up fort even after being deterred seven times...

"Hello~?!" I shouted. "Anyone around here?!"

_Crunch_

I whipped around.

... Nothing.

"... Maybe I made that sound," I muttered to myself before moving on.

A bullywug city should be near.

* * *

It took me half an hour of slow pace walk through the forest before I came across the bullywug city.

Or what remained of it.

What was once a mighty wall that even I had hesitated to lay siege to was now nothing more than a rubble. There were hundreds of dead and rotting bullywug carcasses strewn about. Most were missing majority of their body mass, too. All of them looked like they were torn apart.

I blinked and went exploring within.

I easily jumped over a huge hole in the wall.

I gagged.

Bullywugs were here alright, just not alive.

They were impaled by the two's and three's upon spears planted in the ground every two meters or so. Flies and maggots were everywhere, and the city stunk of the dead.

I pinched my nose and walked deeper. I ascended the cobblestone stairs, taking notice of how the wooden huts of the city were all burnt down. Only sturdy rock remained behind.

Lack of smoke and the presence of maggots told me that at most, this destruction had happened only a week ago. "But nothing happened a week ago," I muttered to myself as I reached the highest point of the city, where I had last seen a palace from far away.

Well, the palace was now burnt down to the ground, and there was nothing there. Only charred wooden pillars and burnt tapestries.

I sighed. "Guess I won't be testing my new hammer."

I turned around and froze.

I blinked.

It blinked.

I tilted my head.

It trembled.

"Well... what the hell happened here?" I asked it, though I doubted it could understand me.

What stood before me was a bullywug.

"Orcs."

Wait, what?

* * *

I let the bullywug go. He(?) was useful and didn't want to fight me. I was cool with that.

What I was not cool with was how close the orcs had come to my own city.

Apparently, orcs often raided this side of the border, though most of the raiding had been confined to small villages and bullywugs. Before I had come, the bullywugs were able to put up a unified front against the much taller and stronger orcs, which allowed them to repel numerically disadvantaged raiding parties.

After I came?

I had broken the bullywug's backbone and economy. I had eliminated one of their major trade hubs (well, Shirou did, but same thing!). I had effectively shattered the bullywug's unified front into a thousand little villages and few cities.

They didn't stand a chance when a raiding party of three hundred came.

That was all I got from the bullywugs, and I had to say ...

I didn't feel shit for them.

They had attacked me on numerous occasions and sold slaves to the orcs. If I could tell them, I would say, "Karma, bitch!" but I didn't know their language. I settled for laughing at its face.

...

Great.

Now I had the fucking orcs to deal with, and they had a fucking empire bigger than the ten duchies put together.

But for now, I think I got enough for today. It's best if I returned home.

* * *

"WHAT?!"

I blinked.

I honestly didn't believe Shirou would take the news so ... expressively.

"Yeah, it seems like orcs have been raiding this region even before we were born. From I learned, it was mostly upon the bullywugs, but we broke the bullywugs. Orcs came, saw that no slaves were being sold or offered to them, and raided them," I replied. While I was externally shrugging off the issue, I took it very seriously. Raiders so close to the city meant that they were more inclined than not to attack us if we appear to be weak.

The problem was exacerbated because these orc raiders were also part of the Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire.

There was no way I could fight an entire empire.

I would have to ask the Duke for advice on this.

What I knew, on the other hand, was that the YCOE was at war with everyone.

Literally.

Whatever nations the empire bordered were effectively at cold war with the empire. The orcs refused diplomatic relations with anyone, discussed no treaties, and definitely did not listen to anyone outside of their empire. Because of this, the Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire was a mystery to outsiders, their status as raiders, pillagers, rapists, killers, and brutes not withstanding.

In response to such close raids, I supposed that we could also attack them back. We could even dress up as a different group or tribe to do so as well. While it was not yet famous, the grey and white armor sets of the Ironwood City will become famous, if not already.

Of course, I don't intend to attack them preemptively. That might bring about attention where none was warranted.

I just hoped they didn't take notice of us.

...

Ha! Fat chance, we just had a war! There's no way ... that they're going ... to not ... notice us.

Oh.

Oh.

OH!

That's what the raid on the bullywug was about! It was only a week ago, merely days after we had finished our own war! They came here expecting to fight us, but they found the bullywugs instead!

I stood up.

And they couldn't find us to kill.

It was likely they were going to be back.

"Shirou, it seems that we're going to need some more defenses around our mountain."

* * *

**Day 235:**

The first thing I had the clan do was to gather the entire clan in the largest training ground within the city.

"What's this about, Chief?" one of the draenei asked.

Ever since their introduction into the clan, the draenei became an integral part of the city and its daily life. They brought with them their medical knowledge and their expertise with crystal rune magic.

"...Less than a week ago, a party of three hundred orcs raided the nearby bullywug city and left it in ruins," I began.

Immediately, the look upon the faces of the expectant became grim.

"Three hundred is a number that's big ... but nowhere big as the Shkifield army we thwarted, am I right?!"

"YEAH!"

I smirked. "With that in mind, I decided to put up more defenses, but it'll require a lot of work from all of you. Are you all with me?"

"Yeah!"

"Good," I smiled. "Then I need a eighty strong volunteers!"

* * *

We got to work immediately.

I split the volunteers into ten groups, eight people each. We all went down the mountain and began to chop woods down in the Bullywug Swamp Valley. Once we had chopped down enough lumber, a total of 150 or so of the trees, we began to haul them towards our destination.

From what I had learned from that lonely, non-hostile, and nice bullywug was that the orcs always came from the east and southeast.

From what I remember about the region's map, there was only two places that orcs could enter through.

The Yuhl Pass and the Zepolya-Pears Pass lay there, east and southeast respectively. Thanks to the mountains of Carpathi Mountain Range, only those two passages were safe enough to travel. It was possible for the orcs to climb over the mountain, yes. But at what cost? Unlike the Upper Carpathi and the Lower Carpathi, the mountains of the Eastern Carpathi were like monsters. They rose high into the sky with their snow-capped peaks and ragged cliffs.

What I intend to do was to place watchtowers along "routes" that any future orc raiders may have to go through. The Bullywug Swamp Valley was the closest valley upon which I intended to start building that watchtower.

I watched as my clan volunteers drag their lumber while I carried two on each of my shoulders.

...

Maybe I also needed to get my men and women to start training on some more endurance and strength.

* * *

We arrived at the northern edge of the Bullywug Swamp Valley. This location was also close to the Nomore tribe, which may it ideal to start evacuations and whatnot should an overwhelming force of raiders come.

"We'll be taking refuge at the Nomore tribe, today," I told them as we dropped off our lumber. The sun was setting over the horizon and the winds were becoming colder. "It's only ten minutes from here, so go on ahead. Shirou knows where they are."

"What about you?" Shirou asked as people began to group together with their friends.

"Me?" I muttered. "I suppose I'm going to hunt something big to feed us all. I don't want to impose too much on the Nomore tribe."

He nodded and led the volunteers to the Nomore tribe.

I, on the other hand, went the opposite direction.

Ping!

**[Quest: Mining out the Goods! Completed!]**

I blinked. 'Looks like the dwarves completed the elevator of theirs,' I thought. 'Wonder what it looks like.'

I walked deeper before I caught sight of a deer herd. They were resting but they were also alert. I quietly projected a bow and three mundane arrows. Three quick draw shots dropped me three deers.

As I slung the deers over my shoulder, I noticed something else too.

The sun was setting, and down at the valley, there was a ... torch?

There were multiple torches.

"[Sonar]."

A pulse of mana sped out from me.

Trees, trees, rocks, trees, berries, trees, orcs-.

My eyes widened.

"Oh shit."

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 236:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 118  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+532.5) (+2.25 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+12.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1065(+798.75 (SGMII))  
DEX: 134  
AGI: 261  
END: 260  
INT: 192  
WIS: 199  
CHA: 113  
Unused Points: 89**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +910  
Infamy: +100**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII)**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 4)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 50) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 33)  
Reinforcement (LvL 9)  
****Sonar (LvL 32)**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 2)**x**  
Archery (LvL 23)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 16)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 30)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 15)**x**  
Charging (LvL 18)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 17) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 12)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 13)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 3)**x  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 3)  
Intimidation (LvL 15)  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 1)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 9)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 1)  
Physical Durability (LvL 38)  
Running (LvL 36)  
Teaching (LvL 8)  
Throwing (LvL 23)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 15)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**69 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
59 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
10 Faze (Candy, Sokar)**(xx)**  
19 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
32 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
38 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
12 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
51 Imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
4 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
70 Fairies**(x)  
**18 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**30 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (True Race)  
**57 Humans ()** (True Race)  
**7 Taurens (****Xumalhoof****)** (True Race)  
**27 Beastkins ()** (True Race)  
**45 Grey Dwarves(Golt, Golthaum)** (True Race)

**Warrior Count:** 108

**Total: **484

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 1500**  
regionalPower**: 2.0

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 2.0)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +700 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +600 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 30)**  
**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Pollodium-Enhanced Ironwood Hammer (Rare)  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**


	44. Chapter 44

**Race Summaries  
Part 2  
(Refer to Chapter 35 for Part 1):**

**Orc(Genus):**

**It must be noted that orcs come in at least four different species. Not sub-species, but true species. Only reason why those four are put together as one is because despite their structural, origin, magic, and focus being very different, they share enough of a commonality to be grouped.**

**1\. Orks: **the most aggressive of the four species, they have only one purpose: annihilation of anything not ork, and sometimes even themselves. This applies to other orcs as well. Their "WAAAGGH" is their term for war and each WAAAGGH generally leave behind tens of thousands dead on each side. Fortunately, they are also the shortest lived among the orc species, measuring at whopping five years. They possess no magic and have the biggest mouth out of orc species with average measuring at a meter wide. They have no gender, and reproduce by regurgitation-reproduction(literally vomits a clone of themselves). The longest lasting kingdom of the Orks was WAAAGH Doom with 3 years under its belt before it was destroyed by the Black Wing Flight.  
It is unknown how or where they pop up, only that they do.  
**[Psychic Hive]  
Chaotic Evil**

**2\. Orcs: **A simple 1 letter difference makes a lot of difference. Their physiology is very much closer to that of human, and they are not savages like the orks. However, due to their surface similiarity, they are persecuted outside of their Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire. Greatest magic users of the orc species, an orc warmage is capable of matching magic feats with the elves. They are one of the True Races.**  
Neutral**

**3\. Fel Orcs: **A fallen brethren of the orcs, these orcs were clans who had delved deep into fel magic, or the dark magic. So consumed in their bloodlust and fel magic, these orc clans were changed forevermore into fel orcs. Unlike the other orcs, they possess grey or black skin with shining black eyes. They can only use fel magic, which corrupts anything it touches. Luckily for the rest of Andalusia, they are the smallest numerically and fel magic runs out really quickly. Their average lifespan is less than 40 years due to their use of fel magic. **  
Chaotic Evil**

**4\. Half-Orcs: Offsprings of the orcs and other races(when it is the women who are the orcs), half-orcs are what one considers a "consumate race." Reproducing with a half-orc means that whichever side of the sex the half-orc is in, all offsprings will be half-orc. With an average lifespan of 70 years, they are one of the True Races.  
Neutral  
**

* * *

**Chapter Start**

**Arc #2: the First Expansion**

* * *

**Day 235(continued):**

This was bad. This was very, very bad.

Because of the nature of our work, we didn't bring any armor or any form of weapons beyond axes.

Armorless and weaponless, most of my volunteers -and the Nomore Tribe- will die if the orcs notice.

Without thinking, I quickly sped towards the Nomore tribe.

There was no time to think, only to act. 'I have to get them out of there!' I thought.

I jumped over trees and rocks, scaling up cliffs with abandon, jumping over gaps I normally would not have dared.

I reached them in half the time I believed I would.

"We need to get out of here! Orc raiders are coming!"

That got everyone into a frenzy. "Iskan and Candy, organize the evacuation. Take them to our city. Shirou, stay with me. I'm going to need your help."

Shirou nodded as he traced his bow and arrows. "Where are they?"

"They're coming from the northeast, last time I saw them. There was at least a hundred of them, all of them well armed."

He gave me another nod before he disappeared into the forest.

"Move!" I shouted to the fearful kobolds and my own volunteer. "None of you have weapons right now!"

* * *

Shirou found the orc raiders rather quickly, and realized that something was wrong.

He reinforced his own eyes to see better in the night and see more details.

His eyes landed on the raiders with their torches and ... The orc that Shirou's eyes had landed on dressed differently from the rest. While most of the orc raiders were dressed and armored with blacken steel, this orc had a large animal skull on its head with bone necklaces and a leather vest.

He nocked his arrow, breaking in process, and let it loose.

The arrow flew true and stru-.

Shirou's eyes widened as the very arrow he had just fired flipped and came at him, and it had even increased in speed and acceleration.

He dove out of the just as the traced arrow struck the rock that he had been standing on and exploded.

* * *

I snapped my head up towards where the sound had come from and cursed.

The explosion had occurred on the side of the mountain, not at the bottom of the valley, which meant that Shirou had just been hit.

I looked over my shoulder and saw that most of the Nomore tribe and the volunteers were leaving the ground.

With them taken care of, I ran towards Shirou, praying that he was safe.

* * *

Shirou groaned as he tried to stand up. He winced when he didn't feel anything from his left ankle and down. He looked and let out a sigh of relief.

The feet was just twisted, not blown off.

It could be worse.

He grabbed his feet and twisted it back into place, letting out a grunt of pain.

He looked around with his still reinforced eyes and frowned when he saw that the orc raiders were heading for him now.

He traced mundane arrows, and let three of them loose.

Two struck their targets while the third bounced off from the orc mage.

He tsked as he fired off more arrows.

* * *

From the other side of the mountain, I took sight of Shirou and his attempt to keep the orc raiders at bay. Despite having the high ground and range advantage, he was having trouble.

Why?

I watched him fire arrows and saw that one consistently aimed at one orc in particular.

One that was dressed differently from the rest.

"[Observe]."

**[Cohkman Orc Mage**  
**Race: Orc**  
**LvL: 74**  
**Trained in the arts of war and magic, the Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire boasts in its training for its mages who are capable of turning arrows and swords against its owners.]**

I grimaced.

If the description was true, weapons -or at least arrows and swords- will pose no threat to this orc mage. It was also pretty high leveled. Shkifield was around lvl 70, and this bastard was higher than that.

...

I could always just chuck rocks like I always do.

* * *

Shirou caught the incoming arrow and fired right back in the same second.

The orc archer took the hit to its leather helmeted head and fell.

The orc mage scowled and tossed a fireball at his direction.

Midway between the orc and himself, the fireball split into three and swirled towards him.

'Tracking fireball?!' Shirou thought as he dodged two by waiting just until they were less than arm's length away and jumping away as fast as his legs could push him away.

The fireballs struck and scorched the rocks he had been standing on.

The third fireball, however, blew through the smoke and struck Shirou in the chest.

Even though it was weaker than what it had splintered from, the mere heat and pain it caused was enough to cause Shirou to scream.

And making himself a target in the night darkness as the fire exploded on his chest to the orc raiders who were wondering the woods.

'Guess I can't hold back!' he thought as he projected Rider's Chain Dagger.

He grasped it by the ring and struck out.

While he was not as good as Ruto in advancing, advance he did.

The thing about this world was that Gaia did nothing to interfere with magic. In fact, when it came to nurturing or healing magic, Gaia bolstered its effects. Taking advantage of this fact, Shirou had trained quite a bit of his time attempting to transfer the skill "Nine Lives Blade Work" from Heracle's Nine Lives to himself.

"Nine Lives Blade Work!"

In a single second, he struck six times and slowed to a still at his seventh.

He grunted, even though six orc raiders went down with a hole in their neck.

While he had succeeded partially in transferring the skill to himself, it was incomplete; he could strike only six times instead of the nine strikes he could perform with Heracles' Nine Lives.

_CLANG!SQULECH!_

"About time!" Shirou roared as a speeding rock struck clear through steel helmet of an orc raider.

* * *

Standing over the skirmish site from a slightly higher ground, I scoffed.

Of course, I came on time. I always do.

With that thought, I threw another palm-sized rock.

This time at the orc mage.

The bastard threw up a shield half a second before the rock struck.

I tsked.

I didn't give up, though. If I kept the orc mage tied down to defense, then Shirou could take out the rest of the raiders.

Unlike the others of my clan, I was not blind to the fact that even with my progress, Shirou was always behind me in terms of overall combat prowess. I even sneak peeked at his training.

That Nine Lives Blade Work he did was superior to mine in terms of damage per second, but it had a huge cost.

A whole 300 points of mana. For Shirou, that was a tenth of his entire reserve.

Still, great for taking out enemies.

I grunted before I let loose another volley of stone projectiles. The orc mage shouted something in its tongue and I saw a few orc raiders rush at me. I scoffed.

They were just aimlessly rushing towards me without knowing exactly where I was.

I didn't spare them and sent one stone per raider. They went down without much issue.

The orc mage then shouted something, and the orc raiders began to retreat.

"Shirou, they're retreating! Capture one at the very least!"

"Do you think I can do that when I got a dozen of them still on me?!"

"YES!"

"FUCK YOU!"

I just laughed at him as I continued to pelt the orc mage.

Then suddenly, and admittedly, this rock was thrown very, very harshly in my own frustration, the last stone I threw penetrated the shield the orc mage put up and tore his head off.

The orcs, all of them, froze before they ran like hell.

Shirou knocked one out, and I took out many as possible from my position.

By the morning of Day 236, we had killed a hundred of them.

* * *

**Day 236:**

"This is the bugger you caught?"

It was a sorry piece of a demented artwork.

Probably because Shirou had to subdue it like crazy.

I could see -or rather imagine- a brown-skinned humanoid with a pair of small tusks, not too unlike trolls. Whereas trolls were tall and lean, these orcs were built much more bulkily. They also had a smaller nose and small ear.

I kicked.

It jolted awake, and after a moment or two of dazed looked at us in fear.

"Uga guro dan!"

Shirou and I both stared at each other.

"I think we need a translator," Shirou said.

I deadpanned at him.

"No shit, captain obvious."

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 236:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 118  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+532.5) (+2.25 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+12.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1065(+798.75 (SGMII))  
DEX: 134  
AGI: 261  
END: 260  
INT: 192  
WIS: 199  
CHA: 113  
Unused Points: 89**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +910  
Infamy: +100**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII)**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 4)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 50) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 33)  
Reinforcement (LvL 9)  
****Sonar (LvL 32)**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 2)**x**  
Archery (LvL 23)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 16)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 30)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 15)**x**  
Charging (LvL 18)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 17) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 12)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 13)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 3)**x  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 3)  
Intimidation (LvL 15)  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 1)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 9)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 1)  
Physical Durability (LvL 38)  
Running (LvL 36)  
Teaching (LvL 8)  
Throwing (LvL 23)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 15)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**69 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
59 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
10 Faze (Candy, Sokar)**(xx)**  
19 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
32 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
38 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
12 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
51 Imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
4 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
70 Fairies**(x)  
**18 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**30 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (True Race)  
**57 Humans ()** (True Race)  
**7 Taurens (****Xumalhoof****)** (True Race)  
**27 Beastkins ()** (True Race)  
**45 Grey Dwarves(Golt, Golthaum)** (True Race)

**Warrior Count:** 108

**Total: **484

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 1500**  
regionalPower**: 2.0

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 2.0)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +700 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +600 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 30)**  
**

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Pollodium-Enhanced Ironwood Hammer (Rare)  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**


	45. Chapter 45

**So I watched the Digimon Adventures: tri.**

**The nostalgia wave too much for me, I was smiling and grinning all day long. **

* * *

**Chapter Start**

**Arc #2: the First Expansion**

* * *

**Day 237:**

I had also looted the orc raiders for their loot and stuff.

To my dismay, none of them had unique or distinctive weapons or armors. The Cohkman mage had barely any shit on him.

After our run-in with the orc raiders and the subsequent capture of one of them, we were able to send for a translator from Pset. We also got the deeds for the land for mining that Christopher had promised me.

I cackled a little when I thought about that.

Soon, my city will flow with pollodium, which I found out was worth a lot! A single standard ingot of pollodium was worth a hundred times its weight in iron or fifty gold coins. I cared little about the latter and more of the former.

It was going to really help bolster the city's tools and arms once I get to trade off the pollodium.

On the other hand, I now had the job of personally interrogating the orc raider.

The translator, Shirou, and I stood inside a small room. Shirou had used his magic to create a "bounded field." Within it, no sound would go out.

I would have to torture, if it is needed. Hopefully, the orc here would be more amendable to simple talks without me having to resort to torture.

Hopefully.

"Ask him why he and his raiders were raiding in my region," I told the translator.

The translator was a human by the name of Jargos c'Lomas, a noble born. The last part I didn't really care about; it was his job description that I cared about.

Jargos did so, and the orc merely grunted.

I sighed.

No easy route, eh?

I projected a barbed pin.

"Tell him if he doesn't talk, this is going into his penis."

Jargos flinched before he translated.

The orc looked at me incredulously and in fear. It stuttered something.

Jargos shook his head.

"Shirou, pull his pants down."

Jargos, unknowingly, translated.

The orc began to shout and struggle.

"He says he'll talk."

I raised an eyebrow. "Good, and tell him, if I think that he's lying, the wire is going down his penis anyway."

Jargos did so with a shudder.

The orc shuddered as well, and then it began to talk.

Jargos translated aobut how the Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire was having a civil war. The Kerman region, which lay to our northeast, had risen up against the orc supremacist empire. It was one of the most populous region of the empire, and as such, they had plenty of soldiers, mages, saboteurs, and commanders to fight back against the gargantuan empire.

On top of that, Hlynovukos Grand Duchy, a rival of the Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire, had taken up banner along side the Kerman Rebellion less than a month after the latter rose up to arms.

Obviously, it was no longer just a civil war, and it was taking a lot of resources from the empire. That part, I could guess even without the orc grunt talking.

It was the second part, however, that pissed me off.

Because the empire was suffering in its year-long war against the Kerman Rebellion and the Hlynovukos Grand Duchy, it had started to run out of money in its coffers.

To compensate, the empire's lords have decided to raid nearby nations for their money.

"Apparently, the lizardman petty king of Lower Carpathi decided to throw his lot in with the Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire and supplied them with food, weapons, and other supplies for a third of the total loot," Jargos said.

My cheeks twitched.

"So the region south of us ... their king," I hissed. "Is the one pushing for those raids so close to my tribes and cities?"

Jargos hastily nodded. "From what I've learned, the Petty King of Lower Carpathi has always been lizardman."

"What's the difference between lizardman and reptilian kobold?" Shirou asked.

The translator paused for a bit. "I'm not sure. Kobolds look more like dragons and lizardman resemble more of a upright ... well, lizard. Few pictures we have of them show that lizardman are also very slender compared to reptilian kobolds."

I nodded even as the [Gamer's Mind] alerted me to rising temper.

I would have to be careful to differentiate between the races.

"Well, they have also been keeping to themselves for the past fifty years or so. Last time they got involved in anything was when the Empire had invaded what is now the Utovan peninsula, which is right below Lower Kerman province."

"Alright. Ask the orc how often these raid parties are assembled and where they are assembled."

Jargos asked so, and the orc was tight lipped about it.

I glared at it.

Jargos added something.

The orc remained adamantly quiet.

I grabbed its penis and balls and shoved barbed wire into the opening.

The orc screamed.

Ping!

**[New skill learned!]**

**[Torture and Interrogation (LvL 1)**  
**Inquisition or Mafia style?**  
***Effect: Extorts data from target.**  
***Effect: +10% of target dying by shock**  
***Effect: -10 infamy per interrogation exposed]**

Ping!

**[New language learned: Orcish!]**

* * *

I sent the translator back with a letter containing what we had learned today.

The problem, it seemed to me, was that not only was the empire sending out raiders to offset their losses with their rebellion, but also that the Petty Kingdom of Sysolwa (the lizardmen kingdom to the south) was willing to help those raiders.

It was obviously impossible for me to attack the empire and win. I had less than 500 people altogether with less than 200 of them being warriors of some kind. On the other hand, the empire just throws away 300-men raiding parties like it's nobody's business.

It was also very, very unlikely that I was going to be able to influence the Kerman Rebellion in any shape or form, which means that the raiding will continue.

My other option was that I fought off every single raiding party and spare no one so that the empire will find raiding my clan's territory distasteful and profitless. However, how much would that take? Would I have to kill a thousand? Ten thousand? The empire easily fielded, according to Jargos, a hundred thousand orc army with ease. How was I suppose to fight against that?

This left me with only one option, and I was distasteful about it.

My head hurts from the calculations, frustrations, and emotions battling it out.

"Hard time deciding what to do?"

I looked up. I had been eating as I was thinking about the raider problem.

"Oh, Candy. How have you been?"

Candy hadn't changed much since the Battle of Pset. She had taken over Shirou's Ironwood Rangers once their training was complete, but aside from that, I had forgotten about her.

She shrugged and sat down across from me. "So so. The rangers are growing in number. I'm here because Senna told me to tell you that another dozen or so oni's want to join the clan and because of that, the city needs to expand."

I nodded. "Tell her to discuss with Shirou about city's expansion," I replied. "But what are you here for?"

"Me?"

"Yeah. I mean, what you just told me could've waited until tomorrow's small chief meeting, but you came to me anyway to deliver the message in person. You obviously wanted to see me."

She didn't move for a while, which was a bit creepy considering that Fazes have no discernible details on their face aside from her lips and a bulge that was somewhat like a nose.

After a while, she smirked. "Am I so easy to see through?"

"Maybe."

She pouted childishly. "Fine then. I just thought you were getting lonely."

I chuckled. "Well, thanks for trying to keep me company, but I'm just tired from lack of sleep today."

"If you say so."

* * *

**Day 238:**

I had the fairies scout the Lower Carpathi region where the raid camp was suppose to be. It was going to take a while though.

The Dhan'Thal dwarves also looked pretty giddy about something as did Shirou. I wondered what it was about.

Candy visited me again today using some silly reason.

* * *

**Day 239:**

The fairies came back, and did confirm the information we extracted from the orc raider.

The raid camp was to the southeast. They were using a tiny open area in the Zepolya-Pears Pass as the staging point and raid camp. The fairies saw at least a thousand more orcs there.

Unfortunately for me and the clan, the orcs had set up outposts and defensive formations against retaliation from my side of the pass. According to my scouts, the raiders even had siege weapons with them, albeit just a few.

Also, my fairy scouts did find something interesting.

On the other side of the Zepolya-Pears pass, there was a small force of humans and elves baring the red and black flag of the Kerman Rebellion. And this rebellion force, scattered among five camps, numbered at least two thousand.

It was obvious, now that I had these information, that the rebels intended to strike out at the raiders.

Shirou, having been there with me when the scouts reported in, reasoned that the rebels probably didn't want the raiders to return back with whatever loot they had, and thus supporting their enemy.

"And if we are to get rid of them..." I said out loud. "We have to help the Kerman rebels."

"'Enemy of my enemy is my friend,'" Shirou quoted. "But at the same time, it may be a bad idea."

"How so?"

"If our involvement reaches the ears of the empire's higher ups, they will definitely take notice of us."

I thought about it for a while before I shook my head. "They might not."

"What?" Shirou said.

"Think of it this way. While we are pretty famous in this region and Galburia in our part of the Shkifield's Claim War, the empire has been at civil war. If their war has been dragging on for a year when they can dish our armies like how I dish out my boulders, then this civil war is much more serious from their side than we might think. They won't have time to scrutinize every single engagement," I reasoned.

"...Did you up your wisdom again?"

"Umm, no. I haven't. Why?"

"That sounded much better than your usual shenanigans. It's usually because you can't think about those things that you come to me for help. You're helpless."

"Hey, that hurts."

"I was only stating the truth."

"Stop it."

"Stop what?"

"That."

"That you're-"

"BAH! Stop it!"

Ping!

**[You have used your wisdom well(surprisingly)! Gained 5 WIS points!]**

Great. Even my own ability mocks me.

Ping!

**[You have met the criteria for a new skill!]**

**[Time Decel (LvL 1) |Req: 200+ WIS and AGI| Mana Cost: 10 per second**  
**You do not change time. You change how you perceive it.**  
***Effect: When active, time progresses (0.9 - 0.01*skillLvL)x as fast.**  
***Effect: Processing speed during activation remains unaffected by Time Decel.]**

Not that I'm complaining. This new skill is simply too awesome!

* * *

On the other side of the Zepolya-Pears Pass, the contingents of Kerman rebels were planning. They had arrived to their position less than a week ago, and a few scores more were to arrive.

They knew that they had nothing to owe the Carpathians. Those valley-dwellers just finished a war of theirs.

But the empire's raiders were here and their focus was only set forward, which left their back open to attacks.

The commander of the Kerman rebels situated outside the pass was Knight Randel von Weissland. He had led the first platoon of the rebels here and camped out here in the woods. His planning was not flawless, but there was little to fix. All they needed was the right time to strike.

"Hello."

Weissland blinked before he quickly drew his sword and pointed it towards where the voice had come from as he turned himself. "Show your...self?" he muttered towards the end when he saw that the speaker who had creeped up on him was ... a fairy.

An oddly dressed fairy that had weird pants and jacket, but a fairy nonetheless.

"I'm an envoy from Chief Ruto of the Ironwood Clan," the fairy said as it opened its backpack. From there, it pulled out a piece of parchment that had been folded up numerous times so that it could fit inside the fairy's backpack. "Here. Letter from our chief. He says he expects a correspondence immediately."

Weissland gingerly took the parchment and unfolded it slowly.

It was written in Common Human.

Dear Commander of the Kerman Rebels,

Do not be afraid about you or your men's position being revealed; I am also an enemy of the orc raiders that you intend to ambush.

I write this to you in hopes of lending ourselves for your eventual attack upon the raiders. They have pillaged what is rightfully my land, as granted by the Duke of Transyl-Carpathi, and have come too close to harm one of my subject tribes.

I cannot let this stand. They are a threat to my subordinates and subjects...'

Weissland couldn't help the grin that began to slowly creep up his face.

This was Godsend.

This was the miracle perhaps he had been unconsciously been waiting for.

"I'll immediately pen out my response, fair fairy," he said immediately once he finished reading the parchment.

"Oh, and Chief said be careful."

"Be careful of?"

"The parchment will explode soon."

Weissland blinked before he looked over the parchment and saw a blinking rune. The rune was ...

"Fire?"

He paused before he tossed it down to the ground.

It popped with a small burst of fire, and only ashes remained.

"...Why did he do that?"

The fairy shrugged. "Chief said something about not leaving evidence for the empire to gather."

"Is your chief paranoid? It wasn't even signed."

"I asked the same thing," the fairy giggled. "Chief only said, 'Better prepared than not.'"

Weissland couldn't fault the Ironwood Clan's chief for that.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 239:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 119  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+532.5) (+2.25 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+12.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1065(+798.75 (SGMII))  
DEX: 139  
AGI: 261  
END: 260  
INT: 192  
WIS: 204  
CHA: 115  
Unused Points: 94**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +910  
Infamy: +100**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII)**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 4)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 50) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 33)  
Reinforcement (LvL 9)  
****Sonar (LvL 32)  
Time Decel (LvL 1)**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 2)**x**  
Archery (LvL 23)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 16)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 30)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 15)**x**  
Charging (LvL 18)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 17) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 12)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 13)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 3)**x  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 4)  
Intimidation (LvL 15)  
Language (LvL 3): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 1)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 10)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 2)  
Physical Durability (LvL 39)  
Running (LvL 36)  
Teaching (LvL 9)  
Throwing (LvL 23)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 15)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**69 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
76 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
14 Faze (Candy)**(xx)  
**1 Phased (Sokar) **(xxx)**  
15 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
38 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
38 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
17 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
48 Imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
6 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
55 Fairies**(x)  
**21 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**30 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (True Race)  
**57 Humans ()** (True Race)  
**7 Taurens (****Xumalhoof****)** (True Race)  
**27 Beastkins ()** (True Race)  
**45 Grey Dwarves(Golt, Golthaum)** (True Race)

**Warrior Count:** 108

**Total:** 501

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 1500**  
regionalPower**: 2.0

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 2.0)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +700 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +600 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 30)  
**Yoal-Cohkam Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 9)

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Pollodium-Enhanced Ironwood Hammer (Rare)  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Hey guys, Slender's Father here. Or you can call me Dine On Corpses. Either one.

*Anyway! One of my readers, SkyRune asked me about more reincarnated characters, and I am open to that. However, beware, I will not accept characters you enter for romance purposes!


	46. Chapter 46

**Just want to remind everyone that Ruto of this story comes from my other story, Gamer of Konoha. **

**This also means he has that Naruto's memory.**

**Which also means he never met MOST of the canon characters of Naruto universe.**

* * *

**Chapter Start**

**Arc #2: the First Expansion**

* * *

**Day 240:**

I woke up just like any other day and headed over to the public kitchen for a bite. There were already people roaming about -and when I mean people, I mean a whole shit ton of different races- doing their job or just meandering about. In particular, I caught sight of a lot of kids. They were giggling and screaming like madmen as they ran about.

I could hear the sounds of construction working on new expansion to the city. I wondered how many people had actually joined my city so far to actually warrant such construction.

No matter, I had food to eat.

"What's up, people!" I shouted with a whoop as I entered the kitchen.

The tables were half-filled with people getting either late breakfast or early lunch, and they all greeted me enthusiastically back.

"Good morning, Chief!" was the most common reply.

I sat down among a odd group made up of a draenei, a troll, a kobold, and a dwarf.

"You guys are different. Whats up."

The group blinked as one before they looked at each other.

"Umm.." the troll spoke up. I knew this troll. He was one of the few trolls who had evolved before Day 150. Never a fighter, he had helped the kobolds a lot in their mining efforts. His name was Elural or something. "We were thinking about ... adventuring."

"Adventuring?" I asked.

The dwarf nodded. "It was I who proposed it, Chief Ruto. I used ta be a adventurer before I joined the Dhan'Thal'um."

I looked at the dwarf in a new light. "Really?"

"Ye! I even went around some dungeons in this very region! Never went deep, though. The Morshul'thal'um is a very dangerous place, even considering that it is a dungeon."

"We have a fucking dungeon in this valley," I repeated. "What exactly is a dungeon?"

"Ye, we do and -. What do you mean what is a dungeon?"

"I mean exactly that."

"It's where the monsters spawn! Not like trolls and kobolds like ye and ye people, but actual monsters. Like cerberus, demons, giant centipede, and malevolent spirits!"

I stashed that little tidbit of information away.

Then one of the fairies flew in.

It was the messenger fairy Xaxa. "Xaxa, you got the message already?" I asked him.

Xaxa grinned. "I may have said that you wanted a quick response."

I tapped the fairy no bigger than two of my middle finger put together on its head. "You shouldn't lie like that."

The fairy just pouted and pulled out the message, which was only big as my hand. It seems that the Kerman rebel commander was a considerate man, taking into Xaxa's size into account. I opened it up and read it. I grinned as I read Commander Weissland's response to my offer of help turned out to be positive.

"Ladies and gentlemen," I said to those inside the kitchen and cafeteria at large. "It seems that we have work to do for our warriors."

* * *

I had the entirety of the city's denizens and Dhan'Thal before me in front of the city's main gate, which faced south.

Because I had forgotten something. Something so useful, but I had forgotten it when other things like politics, raiders, my own warhammer, and food got in its way.

Class System.

I had it and didn't use it.

"Today," I began. "I will be doing my best to give you all a class. If you don't want one, I won't give you one until later."

Sokar froze stiff before he spoke. "That's impossible."

I blinked as everyone turned to him.

"What'dya mean?" one of the kobolds asked.

"Classes. Those are things only True Races can hold. The reason why we don't have it is because we have evolution instead."

I tilted to my head to the side at this new information. Then I turned to Shirou and activated the [Class System].

Shirou jerked as he focused on something. He lifted his hand tapped away at something in front of him.

Ping!

**[You have given Shirou the class {Archer}!]**

**-50 mana!**

"It works," Shirou said as he held up his forearm where a small circle appeared as a tattoo. It held a drawn bow with a number "1" to the drawn bow's right.

Sokar gawked. "How?!"

"My ability," I grinned. "Let's be bend some rules here and there. So who's next?"

One of the draenei who was a member of the Highlanders raised his hand. "I got my {Farmer} class when I was young. Can it be changed?"

"Let's see," I said as he came to the front of the group. Once he stood before me, I activated it.

He focused on a screen that I could not see. He too tapped away as Shirou tried to help him through.

Ping!

**[You have given Bet'thal Na'shu the class {Warrior}!]**

"I... I'm now a Warrior."

Sokar threw his hands up into the air. "Go and break more than five hundred years worth of rules and logic."

I grinned. "Sure. But does that mean you don't want it?"

He glared at me, and I only cackled. "Sokar's next. I want to see what he becomes." He did and I activated the Class System.

Ping!

**[You have given Sokar the class {Shadow Breaker}!]**

I raised an eyebrow. "What does your class do?" I asked him.

Sokar blinked for a bit, staring at his own forearm, a circle with a number "1" and a man's shadow bisected now adorning his arm. "I ... uh..." he paused. "It allows me to higher 'damage' to those whose shadows I attack. I can also use my own shadows as weapons." Then he pointed to the ground where his shadow independently produced a number of knives. It moved on its own before he returned to being Sokar's shadow.

"Ooh, a nifty class," I said and continued the Class System "giveaway."

The following classes were given out:  
61 Warriors  
10 Guardians  
70 Rangers (fairies and imps made up 40 of the 70)  
7 Archers  
1 Shadow Breaker  
38 Miners  
30 Gardeners  
23 Druids  
9 Blacksmiths  
3 Alchemists  
9 Healers  
1 Priest (of Naaru)

So about half of the city had decided to take a class.

* * *

**Day 241:**

At dinner time, my rangers returned with five dead comrade and a large bag of loot. Apparently, they had run into a orc raiding party of about a hundred headed straight for us.

The rangers had fought by using guerrilla tactic, striking fast and hard from a far with their arrows before retreating. After the fifth attack, the orc raiding party had decided to cut their losses. But then the two parties ran into each other too closely on their 7th engagement. By the time they fought in melee, the rangers had taken down the orc raiders from a hundred to sixty. The orcs were still numerically superior, however, my rangers proved to be superior with training, strength, agility, and weapons.

The number of breastplates they had brought with them confirmed the kills.

I was sadden by the five dead clan members but also happy about how my people held their own against the orc raiders.

We held another funeral ceremony for the five deceased and held a small feast to commemorate our another victory against raiders-to-be.

* * *

**Day 242:**

I saw the rebels before they saw me. After all, I was up on a higher ground with my fairy scouts insistently telling me how close the rebel commander and his escorts were.

I decided to mess with them a little bit.

"Iskan."

Iskan stood up.

The leader of the Ironwood Highlander Warriors had evolved just a day ago into a mountain troll. He had taken pride into his own evolution, stating -when he believed I was not listening in- that he was following in his chief's steps.

I was happy hearing that. I think.

Now, he stood at an impressive 206 centimeters, or 6 feet 9 inches, with muscles that were only smaller than mine and those of the most bulky tauren in our clan, meaning Xumalhoof.

In commemorate his evolution, I personally crafted him a new weapon to differentiate him. To make him not only be the leader but also look the part of a leader that he was becoming.

**[Ironwood Guardian Axe**  
**Creator: Ruto of Ironwood Clan**  
**Description: Congrats, boya**

***Effect: 200 STR required.**  
***Effect: +50 Physical Damage**  
***Effect: [Skill: Full Swing]**  
***Effect: +1 Intimidation factor]**

It was pretty good weapon, coming in only behind my Peacemaker and Shirou's Gae Bolg II. Thanks to the blood red color of pollodium droplets I have added during its forging process, it even looked like there was bloodstain on it, which may have given it its +1 intimidation factor.

"Scare 'em just a little, and escort them to our city."

Iskan grinned. "My pleasure, Chief."

* * *

Commander Weissland couldn't help but feel that he was going into a trap.

After all, he was deep inside unknown territory to meet an unknown factor until now. The few things the rebel spy network had picked up about this "Chief Ruto of Ironwood Clan" also did not make a pretty picture, despite the first exchange of words via letters.

'I mean, who literally killed over a hundred men personally in the Battle of Pset!' he thought to himself with a shudder.

Indeed. From what his spies had been able to gather from within the city of Pset itself, it was that Chief Ruto had become an ally of Duke Zepolya, the ruler of Transyl-Carpathi. Then living Shkifield had declared war without even knowing about this unknown factor.

The very unknown factor would kill him by pressing his head in its hand until it became a mush.

It was said that Chief Ruto towered over soldiers.

BAM!

Something just dropped out of the sky.

Was it the orcs?! Was it the empire?! How had they known that he was going here? He hadn't even told half of his lieutenants!

AS the figure that dropped out of the sky rose up, he and his escorts drew their blades in a hurry.

Then the figure was fully shown, and they stopped.

It wasn't a orc.

It was a troll.

A very, very big troll.

'T-This must be Chief Ruto,' he thought as he looked upon the green-skinned troll. 'He definitely towers over men.'

The troll looked at him in the eyes before grunting, hefting his bloody battleaxe, which was as long as Weissland's own legs and twice his chest's width, over his shoulder. The troll then cocked its head to the side and turned around.

The Weissland's men blinked and looked to Weissland himself.

The commander hesitated a bit before he sheathed his sword and followed the troll.

His men followed after him not too long after that.

That began a climb up a mountain that would last for an hour.

When they reached the top, Weissland and his men were greeted to a sight they wouldn't forget for a long time.

There was a city surrounded by lush farmland. It stood tall not unlike the city walls of the Kerman regions. It looked a bit on the side of messy though with all those cobblestones in a disorderly formation, but he didn't doubt the wall's strength.

Then the gates of the city opened.

And a troll much taller than the one who he had thought was Chief Ruto walked out.

Dressed in white and black armor with a warhammer longer than Weissland himself, the giant troll stopped before him and his men.

"Nice to meet you, Kerman rebels," the troll said in perfect Common Human. "Now which one of you is Commander Weissland?"

His men betrayed him without hesitation as they all pointed at him.

"...You look skinnier than I thought," the troll commented. "Name's Ruto, but everyone calls me Chief Ruto. I'm the leader of this city and clan, the Ironwood Clan. Welcome to our city ... partner."

Perhaps he should have asked his superiors about this help before accepting it so quickly.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 242:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 119  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+532.5) (+2.25 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+12.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1065(+798.75 (SGMII))  
DEX: 139  
AGI: 261  
END: 260  
INT: 192  
WIS: 204  
CHA: 115  
Unused Points: 94**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +910  
Infamy: +100**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII)**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 4)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 50) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 33)  
Reinforcement (LvL 9)  
****Sonar (LvL 32)  
Time Decel (LvL 1)**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 2)**x**  
Archery (LvL 23)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 16)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 30)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 15)**x**  
Charging (LvL 18)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 17) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 12)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 13)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 3)**x  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 4)  
Intimidation (LvL 15)  
Language (LvL 3): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 1)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 10)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 2)  
Physical Durability (LvL 39)  
Running (LvL 36)  
Teaching (LvL 9)  
Throwing (LvL 23)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 15)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**63 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
75 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
14 Faze (Candy)**(xx)  
**1 Phased (Sokar) **(xxx)**  
15 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
38 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
37 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
17 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
48 Imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
6 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
55 Fairies**(x)  
**21 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**30 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (True Race)  
**57 Humans ()** (True Race)  
**7 Taurens (****Xumalhoof****)** (True Race)  
**27 Beastkins ()** (True Race)  
**45 Grey Dwarves(Golt, Golthaum)** (True Race)

**Warrior Count:** 108

**Total:** 501

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 1500**  
regionalPower**: 2.0

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 2.0)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +700 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +600 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 30)  
**Yoal-Cohkam Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 9)

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Someone asked me where I go for my forums. I joined Spirits of the Earth RPG forum when this story was about at 35 chapters in. I like the place. I'm called akallas there.


	47. Chapter 47

**Just thought I should thank all of you who have been reviewing for my story and encouraging me. So I'll be listing everyone who did review for Chapter 46 -and a silent thank you for those who did not but still read my story- right here!**

**Thank You to:  
douglas654,**Bleached Gamer,**sudhush,**LostPeace, **BANKAIZEN, **R-king 93, **ShinRa13, **cj1of4, **s.k.f.f.f, **Alex2909, **GuestN, **notsae, **Guest#1, **LegionsEnd56,**priceless22, **najdrox, **Genuka,**kage88,**yukicrewger2,**DeadParade, **davycrockett100,**BBWulf,**Guest#2, **Fuyuriku,**tamagat, **Harutora75,**FateBurn, **hye1995,**LordGhostStriker,**First Guy, **Protolife**, deadal, **LordXeenTheGreat**

* * *

**Day 242(continued):**

Weissland didn't know what to think or how to react.

Around him, next to him, and before him, his men were in similar situation.

After all, monsters ... tended to kill people.

Not greet them in a public cafeteria in a city of their own making with food that looked too delicious to be true.

"...And then we jumped out of the trees with our hammers, axes, and swords! Those Shkifield vagabonds never knew what hit 'em!" one of the trolls said as he held a mug of beer -which must have been imported from a local True Race city- before taking a long drink from the mug. "I was like 'We don't need number when we can do this!'"

And they talked about crushing people's skull as they ate. Perhaps they were people killing monsters and he had damned himself to working with these barbarians.

"Pardon the warriors," a red oni said as he came down to sit by them. "My name is Shirou. I am the second in command of the clan," the oni said as he extended his hand.

"Nice to meet you..." Weissland said automatically. "Wait, what do you mean warriors?"

Shirou looked surprised. "Well, a lot of the guys you see in this hall right now are warriors. They finished their training a hour or two before you arrived."

"So this is their ...?"

"After training meal. Muscle only grows when enough protein is provided to it, so we provide our warriors who want to grow physically stronger with as much meat as we could provide."

It was true, Weissland recognized as they looked around. All of those within this public cafeteria had a huge portion of meat in front of them.

"And you provide them with all these meat every single day...?"

Even dukes and kings would be hard pressed to feed their elite soldiers fed like that on any scale over a company.

Shirou smiled instead. "The tromba worms mature within a week after being born, and they lay about a thousand eggs. On top of that, they consume mana mostly for their diet. With this mountain being a ley line for such natural mana production, all we have to do is take care of the worms as they are born and harvest the mature worms."

There existed such a creature!?

"We only found out about it a few days ago, so what you are seeing is actually the first after training meal that consists mostly of tromba worms. Personally, I think they're great."

Weissland stared down at his steak.

His "steak."

"So when are we going to discuss our ... cooperation?" he asked instead, not wanting to keep his attention on his food.

"After this meal."

* * *

It took over two hours to finally meet the Chief, but Weissland and his men had gone sightseeing during that time as Shirou advised.

Weissland was personally very interested in how far these ... people had come.

Yes, people.

While he was biased towards monsters for their general shitty and raiding activities, he couldn't help but admire these people.

They were ... strong, first off. They singlehandedly destroyed an army dozen times larger than themselves a few weeks back.

They were also friendly and resourceful. They were cultured and learned, especially that Shirou.

But their leader still scared the shit out of Weissland.

"So how do you intend to help us?" Chief Ruto looked at him straight in the eye from above. Despite both of them having sat down, Chief Ruto still towered over him over a good two and high feet.

"W-We'll strike from the back once the imperial raiders are focused on you."

"Hmm, but doesn't that put me at a disadvantage? I certainly don't have proof that your troops will attack once the raiders are sufficiently focused on my warriors."

Weissland narrowed his eyes. "You believe me to be without honor?"

The troll chief scoffed. "There is no true honor in the battlefield, only before and after it."

"Then what would you have us do?"

"Lend me a hundred of your soldiers."

Only a hundred?

"I can agree to that, if you agree to them being fed and sheltered up to the battle itself."

"I can agree with that."

They shook their hand.

* * *

**Day 244:**

The promised one hundred troops arrived. It had taken them a day because they had to use the Yuhl Pass to avoid the orcs. They were led by a knight baring a brown eagle upon a blue and yellow background.

"My troops and I have come as per Lord Weissland's orders. Are you the one who is to lead us?" the knight asked from his armored steed.

I looked over them and nodded. "Yup. I am. Take a rest today, we go out to fight the raiders tomorrow."

The hundred men of the Kerman rebel entered my city.

Unfortunately for me and my city, these men weren't as ... civil as we were.

Who knew that monster races were more civil than humans?

That night when we were all eating in the public cafeteria, including the humans, their leader got into a fight with Iskan after the former said something nasty about monsters in general. Iskan took it as an offense to his honor.

It started the first intra-city brawl/food fight.

I had to knock both of them out before I settled the situation. By the end of it, three of the one hundred humans were now too injured to join the fight tomorrow while two of my own were also too injured.

* * *

**Day 245:**

With 97 Kerman rebels and 100 of my own, I set out to launch my attack against the orc raiders.

We were midway from where the orcs were camping when I ran into one of my fairies.

She(probably) was crying.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

"O-orcs, they were chasing me...!"

I kept myself calm.

The orc raiders were nearby. If they spot us, they will report back to their commander back at their camp.

"Rangers, go after th-"

"Let's meet the imperials in battle, brothers!"

I snapped my head towards the human knight, who had just shouted that. Then he and along with his human contingent charged off to god knows where.

"Wait, stop!" I shouted after them, but they were having none of it. They charged off. "Those idiots! Now the orcs definitely know we're here with that ruckus!" I growled.

It was too late for my usual guerrilla attack.

But whatever the size of this raiding party was, it had to take out a chunk of the raider camp's own number! I would take advantage of that fact.

"Candy, take the fairy with you to see how big the orc raider numbers are!" I ordered. "Rest of you, we're attacking the orc raiding camp, but we're going to have to run to there because we're going to be racing with the orc raiders out here that those motherfucking humans just alerted!"

Iskan gruffed. "Knew these humans weren't reliable."

"Let's get moving!"

Weissland and I were going to have a long discussion after this.

Humans rode off to god knows where and I led my own people towards the orc raiders. Surprisingly, a dozen of the humans had stuck with us.

So we ran. Ran in hopes that when we arrived, we would have arrived before the orc raiders that the human knight had chased after.

* * *

We arrived at the orcish raid camp by dusk.

We were too late.

The human contingent had arrived at the orc camp first without us -which we don't know how-, and they were swept away before the rest of the Kerman rebels from the orc's rear could strike.

Unfortunately, as they say about injuries upon insults and injuries on top of the insult, the orcs had reinforcements coming their way.

Squashed between a thousand strong reinforcement from their rear, a thousand and five hundred in their front, and with the mountain pass on either side of them, Weissland's troops were desperately fighting for their survival.

For me, I was hesitating.

If I charged my troops in their right now, we were going to suffer the biggest loss of life our city had ever felt. If I did not help Weissland, however, I was going to constantly have to deal with these orcish raiders, which would leave me open to anything the lizardman in Lower Carpathi would attempt to do to me.

Even if Shirou and I threw a lot of things at them -namely Shirou's swords and my boulders-, I knew that these orcs weren't like the bullywugs. They had mages capable of withstanding Shirou's strike, even if that left them open to me. I had no information on the formation of orcs nor did I have the higher ground. The mountain cliff of the Zepolya-Pears offered no perch for my troops.

It would be the first dirty and brutal level ground combat my people would see.

...

"Shirou," I said as I pulled Peacemaker out of my inventory. "Fire as much as you can."

He nodded and projected his bow.

Then he pulled out Caladbolg.

He wasted no time.

"Soar, Caladbolg!" he roared.

Even as it flew, Shirou pulled out another one.

I grimaced. "Dude, what the hell happened to your arrow's requirement?" I asked as I watched his reserve drop from 90% to 60%.

"Later," he said as he fired another. "Soar, Caladbolg!"

The first Caladbolg struck the unsuspecting orcish raiders' rear with the force of a thousand suns. Those at the heart of the explosion died and became not ash but mere gas.

But the orcs were too spread apart to do real damage.

The second one struck a magic shield. It exploded, but aside from dimming a bit, it did no damage.

Shirou grunted as he pulled out another Caladbolg. Probably his last until he rested. "Soar!" he roared. My eyes widened as his mana reserve dropped from 30% to 10%. "CALADBOLG!"

The spear struck the ethereal magic shield and exploded. The shield shattered.

And now the orcs had their attention on us.

"How many, Yuyu?!" I asked the fairy scout directly above me.

"T-They still have more than a thousand!"

I grunted. "Here goes nothing," I grunted. I pulled boulders from my [Inventory], and threw them as they came out.

Whatever Shirou's last Caladbolg had done to the orc, it was offering no more resistance. My boulders flew from my hands like a meteor and crashed into their frontline, shattering and exploding from the rock-rock impact.

'I suppose that's my advantage here,' I grunted. 'The Pass has barely any dirt to lessen my rock's impact.'

"Archers!"

Of the 100 I brought with me, 30 quickly moved and lined up beside me. They all had the crossbow gun that Shirou invented. "Fire!"

The Bomb Arrows launched first.

They struck the orcish frontline much harder than my boulders did, but when the smoke cleared, the orcs charged through it. Many were dead, definitely, but not enough to matter.

"Fire!"

This time, guns fired, leaving another two dozen dead in the orc's side.

"Eight hundred is charging towards us!" Yuyu shouted from above. "100 meters!"

I grunted. "Shielders!"

20 big warriors came up. Most of them were taurens, trolls, and draenei. They all carried a tower shield much bigger than the ones that his other warriors carried. They planted their shields down right next to each other. The archers quickly got behind them.

"Fire at will! Rest of you, charge with me!"

I jumped forward with a deafening roar ringing out from my own throat, and crashed into the orc imperial ranks with a mighty swing my Peacemaker.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 242:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 119  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+532.5) (+2.25 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+12.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1065(+798.75 (SGMII))  
DEX: 139  
AGI: 261  
END: 260  
INT: 192  
WIS: 204  
CHA: 115  
Unused Points: 94**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +910  
Infamy: +100**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII)**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 4)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 50) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 33)  
Reinforcement (LvL 9)  
****Sonar (LvL 32)  
Time Decel (LvL 1)**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 2)**x**  
Archery (LvL 23)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 16)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 30)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 15)**x**  
Charging (LvL 18)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 17) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 12)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 13)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 3)**x  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 4)  
Intimidation (LvL 15)  
Language (LvL 3): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 1)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 10)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 2)  
Physical Durability (LvL 39)  
Running (LvL 36)  
Teaching (LvL 9)  
Throwing (LvL 23)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 15)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**63 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
75 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
14 Faze (Candy)**(xx)  
**1 Phased (Sokar) **(xxx)**  
15 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
38 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
37 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
17 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
48 Imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
6 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
55 Fairies**(x)  
**21 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**30 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (True Race)  
**57 Humans ()** (True Race)  
**7 Taurens (****Xumalhoof****)** (True Race)  
**27 Beastkins ()** (True Race)  
**45 Grey Dwarves(Golt, Golthaum)** (True Race)

**Warrior Count:** 108

**Total:** 501

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 1500**  
regionalPower**: 2.0

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 2.0)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +700 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +600 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 30)  
**Yoal-Cohkam Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 9)

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Race Summaries  
Part 3:**

**Fairykin:**

Not the most impressive of the races, True or Monster, that roam Andalusia, they are certainly the most beloved. Fairies are considered one of the monster races due to their variety and ability to evolve. Fairies, due to their nature, has a pacifist nature. While exception do exist, this is the reason why fairies are looked upon by others as cute, cuddly, and weak. Fairies would rather run than fight. Thanks to their connection with nature, this allows fairies to run to places that no other race can even hope to attempt. Like jumping into rocks and coming out on the other side with nary a scratch or dust. Like jumping into water and not drowning for hours on end. On the other hand, their connection with nature allows for some impressive offense should the fairies feel threatened or encouraged enough to do so.

Known fairykin evolution are as follows:

Fairy  
Greater Fairy | Dryad  
Elemental Fairy  
Fae

Racial Trait:** [Beloved of All]**

Average lifespan of a lifespan is unknown. Longest recorded lifespan of a fairy, however, which is still being recorded, is that of Mother Rose of Volreek Empire, the First Queen and mother to the Second Emperor. She is currently 1,909 years old.

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Glad all of you like Re:Gamer.

* Bleached Gamer: I feel that the ability you have described to me fits more with the Fairykin than Ruto. But I will consider it.

* Guest N: Good analysis of my city. It was intentional that I did keep the number of healers small. And yes, the wall would soon need to be upgraded or at least the fortifications for it.

* LegionsEnd56: Yes, it adds to leg power, but Ruto can dish out 296 damage per punch compared to measly 150 of his kicks due to his traits, racial traits, and skills. Sometimes, I wonder why I agave Ruto even his Peacemaker because obviously his fists are stronger!

*A common misconception about Gamer's Mind is that it allows one to be all, see all, and fix all, about oneself.


	48. Chapter 48

_**The First Expansion Arc**_

* * *

**Day 245(Continued):**

"[Double Strike]!" I roared as I came up on a particularly tall orc raider. I struck twice in the span of half a second. My warhammer struck the orc raider's head and leg.

The orc raider's head smashed in from the left and and his legs snapped rightward. The motion left the orc raider dead and spinning in air briefly. I pulled back my warhammer and instead, struck out with my left with a palm strike. The still spinning orc raider's body crunched inward from my palm strike, its rib cage cracking. It then flew backward, ramming into the dead raider's comrade.

I didn't stop there.

I tossed my warhammer back into the inventory.

The thing was, I took up to using warhammer because it gave me a tool to strike with. I didn't need to bloody my hands.

But my temper was reaching the threshold again, and I wanted these orcs to know exactly who was the boss in Carpathi.

So I was going to show them the monster I had held back behind that warhammer. The monster I did not want my allies to see.

**[TEMPER BROKEN! WEAPONLESS!]**

Did I mention that I attacked about twice times as fast with my fists compared to my warhammer?

My lips stretched endlessly as my vision was overcome with red haze.

* * *

I am a Kerman rebel. I joined the rebellion instead of tending to my older brother's woodshop because I felt a need to prove myself. I wanted to go to the battlefield and -once Kerman Province was free- be knighted for my service. To do so, I needed to stand out.

So I applied for some of the worst assignments ever. Deep territory operations. Interrogation. Assassination.

I had done plenty of things that would make men and women cringed with disgust.

But I didn't care. My actions would get me the recognition I wanted.

And then not too long ago, I was assigned to fight under Lord Weissland.

Weissland was the man I wanted to become. Strong, fast, a good commander, and a man among man.

Then he assigned me under Ashrub, Knight of Yulan. Ashrub was a man in need of a sword to his neck. He was a disgrace to his family and to his knighthood. He was duller than a thousand year old axe.

When Ashrub chased after the orc raiders, I stuck with the troll chieftain that Weissland told us to follow.

And then came the battlefield.

The opening attack from Chief Ruto's side was brillant and magnificent. Without even suffering a single casualty, he killed more than a hundred of them.

Then he began to throw boulders.

_Boulders_, for the Love of Gaia!

It was terrifying and elating to fight besides such a ... monstrous powerhouse! It was a honor!

So when he roared and ordered the men to charge, I didn't care that I was fighting besides, taurens, onis, trolls, and fazes. No, I was fighting besides warriors that imperials would come to fear.

This was what I wanted.

I let out my own roar and charged forward.

* * *

When the orders to raid came from the Imperial War Council, orcish clans from all over the empire scampered to join. Clan Ugritic was one of the first clans to rise up to do their duty.

And get 50% profit as was the law of the land.

They rode out from their homeplain in the Ugeris Province to northwest towards the Carpathi.

They had good month or two of raiding before they were attacked.

It was a small contingent of human troops without a flag. Ugritic warriors made quick work of them.

Then the fools of the Kerman rebellion attacked the mighty Clan Ugritic from behind, not knowing that Ugritic had reinforcements on the way.

Then they were attacked by another party from the same entrance as where the clan had already taken care of the first human contingent.

This party was odd, though. They had trolls, onis, taurens, and draenei with them. The clan was actually confused at first.

And then explosions.

It was such an explosion that the warriors of Ugritic were shocked.

This was the work of demigods or archmages. It had to be. The sizes of explosions were too big.

Then their own mages saved them, but not before they themselves were killed by magic overload, caused by the attackers from Carpathi.

The warriors rode out and met these monsters in battle.

Unfortunately, they did meet the monster they sought to fight.

It was a troll taller than any orc. Its body steamed as it threw fist after fist against them. With each strike from its fist, an orc died as his ribs caved in and his organs flattened.

Some orcs without armor just blew up, leaving a gaping hole where their chest used to be.

"Brothers, this monster is the infamous troll chief of the Ironwood!" one of their spies shouted. "If we defeat this monster right here, right now, then the Carpathi will be forever open to us! Fight on, and you will do the ultimate duty to the Empire!"

* * *

"C-Chief Ruto is here?!"

Weissland found out too late that the soldiers he had sent to Chief Ruto had fought on their own, disregarding the chief's orders.

"It seems so," Candy replied.

When the battle began, he had been surprised that one of Chief Ruto's lieutenants had personally come to assist him.

She called herself Candy, and some of his men had laughed as the battle began about how she was an "eye-candy."

They took it all back when they saw her devastate any enemies who came to her with her [Devourer's Dance]. Orcs fell dead as their gut was ripped open, their necks missing, and their limbs gone every time she passed through them. For every single kill Weissland's own soldiers made, she reaped over five.

Untouchable.

Unbeatable.

A true monster like the chief of hers.

It was only because of her that the outnumbered Kerman rebels weren't overwhelmed. She and Weissland, with less than two hundred soldiers, held off the two thousand raiders while the rest of his soldiers took care of the orcish reinforcements.

It was a miracle in and of itself that they held the orcs off for so long before Chief Ruto had arrived.

But then again, after hearing the rumours and the details of Battle of Pset from the few humans who lived in Ironwood City, he shouldn't have been surprised.

After all, she was part of fifty member strike force that chief Ruto personally led to fight against _five thousand _of Shkifield's army. A battle where Ironwood Clan rose up in prominence as a regional power.

"Men!" he shouted. "Our reinforcements are here!"

He heard the cheers ring out from his troops.

"But our job is not done yet! We must break out of this trap that the orcs have us in! We must meet Chief Ruto and join him! Follow me, lads!"

With him and Candy at the front, Weissland valiantly charged into the orcish ranks with half of his armor missing and a bloodied longsword. His men charged after him.

Weissland slashed at a orc warrior who parried the blow. But he followed the slash with a push kick, knocking the surprised and unsuspecting orc warrior backward. Then he used his muscles to stop the slash in its path before rounding back as he stomped down with his outstretched right leg. He slashed the orc's neck open.

"FOR KERMAN!" he roared as he struck out at another orc warrior.

* * *

**[Temper Restored!]**

I blinked as my mind came back to me, and grimaced.

My whole body, skin and armor alike, was coated in green blood that smelled even more strongly than human blood. My hand was wrapped around what could be called a "orc balloon," if that balloon was made out of orc flesh and having been inflated by the blood I had pumped into its head by squeeze-pushing the blood in its blood up there.

I dropped the obviously dead orc before slamming my fist into another that had charged at me.

"Report!" I shouted.

Iskan was right next to me when I shouted that.

"We killed about three hundred of the raiders, Chief. Our own casualties are at twenty men and holding."

I grimaced.

Twenty. That was quadruple more than what I had suffered at the Battle of Pset. As far as I'm concerned, this was a disaster.

I watched briefly as my warriors' superior training and weapons overwhelmed individual orcs before they began to group up. Again, superior training came in handy, and my warriors retreated, instead of fighting, to gather themselves up in their own group before engaging once more.

"Where is Shirou?"

"He's in the thick of it all, just like you were, Chief. I suspect he killed half of the three hundred we killed after his first strike against them."

I nodded. "Let's get back to rolling, Iskan."

"Yes, Chief!"

With that, I took out a boulder and tossed it deep into orcish ranks, grinning when I heard the squashing of limbs and squealing not unlike those of pigs.

"Onward, warriors! Our allies are on the other side of this flesh wall!" I roared.

Then I punched the wall of armored orcs that stood between me and the Weissland (even though I was going to verbally thresh him for sending me shit troops).

"[Double Strike], [Double Strike], [Double Strike], [Double Strike], [Double Strike], [Double Strike], [Double Strike], [Double Strike], [Double Strike]!"

The wall of flesh and iron caved in like a castle made out of sand against the sweeping tides of the ocean. With each strike, I chunked away at their ranks. Bodies flew or just caved in right there as guts and limbs alike flew. The bodies that didn't rip apart from my blows were thrown up or backward. Those thrown up landed By the end of the spam fest of my [Double Strikes], what used to be a wall of more than perhaps a hundred orcs was down to a mere shivering and pissing dozen.

Ping, ping, ping!

**[Self-Damage Dealt: 90 physical damage! Fractured left pinky!]**

**[Damage Dealt: 279 + 235, 240 + 210, 270 + 190, 290 + 400(crit), 254 + 256, 236 + 200, 201 + 160, 250 + 240, 260 + 205**  
**Total: 4,376 physical damage!]**

**[[Double Strike] LvL up(+2)!]**

**[LvL Up!**  
**+4 STR**  
**+2 AGI]**

I grunted as I got ready to strike at them again.

Then an idea popped up into my head.

My grin split my face in two.

The idea ... was delicious.

* * *

Shirou looked to Ruto and then grimaced. "He has another weird idea."

* * *

I pulled out my warhammer and began to pump in as much mana it could take.

When I had spent a thousand points, I roared. "Ironwood, fall back ten steps!"

They did. The few humans who were with us were confused, but they joined their allies in the small step back.

Ping!

**[New skill has been created!]**

"[Mountain Killer]!" I roared as I struck the ground before me.

There was a pause as the entire valley shook. Everyone froze, wondering what had caused such shake.

Then the valley's ground began to crack, starting from where I had struck. In a blink of an eye, the cracks splintered through the ground of the orcish ranks.

Then all at once, rocky spikes jutted out of the ground, spiking their way away from me. They were as tall as I am but only thick as my arms. But the force that they speared their way out of the ground was too much for metal armor and flesh.

Orcs caught in the attack were speared like pigs and those that were far enough to not be speared but near enough to be in its striking range, were struck by a uppercut like force.

"We're not some weaklings you can steal from, you whoresons!" I roared.

My troops were shocked before they charged forth with their own battle cry.

"For IRONWOOD!"

I grunted as I stumbled backward just one step. "Ow. Goddamn. That actually hurt me too."

Ping!

**Self-Damage: 250 physical damage!**

I grimaced. "Ow." My own self-inflicted damages inflicted thrice more damage than the damage orcs landed on me. I glanced at my HP.

**HP: 168.5(79.2)**

Oh yeah. I definitely hit low.

"Keep pushing!" I exclaimed. "For the Ironwood Clan!"

* * *

"Holy shit," Weissland muttered as he steadied himself. "Did he just do that?"

Candy nodded. "He's always doing amazing things," she replied as she parried an axe from separating her head. She spun along with the parry, came back around, and slashed the orc in the face in return. The orc stumbled back as it clutched to its bleeding face. With a swift stroke back and forth of her hand, she struck through the orcs hand and forehead and pulled back.

It fell over backward and died.

"Keep pushing towards the Ironwood Chief!" Weissland shouted to his troops.

* * *

I ordered my troops to fall back and get into the Spear Formation. The Shielders pulled their shields out of the ground and formed a pointed formation. The archers moved back towards where we were before our charge with a handful of warriors to guard them. The rest of us got together with the shielders.

Then...

We charged.

We broke through the already disheveled ranks of the orc raiders. Actually, it would be more correct to say that we plowed through them with such force that those who survived our onslaught became deserters. But it was not without cost.

We charged with our Shielders in the front, and they took the blunt of the damage that orcs did dish out. Soma, one of our troll shielders, took a spear right through his chest while Cravenhoof took an axe to his neck. They went out easy.

Seren didn't. He took a sword to his gut and a spear to his chest. But the bastard didn't stop charging with the rest of us.

"We're almost there!" I roared as I sent another orc flying through the air.

With a final roar, Seren, a troll that had been with me since our escape from the orcs so long ago, bashed his shield with his entire body weigh behind the attack to two more orc raider before he fell.

_'Chief... will I ever be like you?' _It was a whisper, but I heard it clearly.

I grimaced as Seren fell flat on his face, having more than three spears through his chest and a sword to his gut.

With a vengeful roar, I tore through another orc raider.

And then... Finally, after what seemed like forward midst the orcs, we broke through.

We were through the orcish ranks and came face to face with ...

"Candy, how the hell did you get here?!" I exclaimed in surprise.

She just shrugged even as she killed another orc raider.

* * *

After that, the battle was too much of a rout to be anything else.

After our two forces, a total of 1,400 or so troops, melded together, we shattered the orc raiders and their reinforcements with our superior training and surprise, especially when Shirou fired off one last Caladbolg that managed to wipe out five hundred of them.

He fainted right afterward from hitting his reserve's rock bottom.

We chased the orcs out of our Zepolya-Pears Pass and well into the empire's territory before we turned back.

When we returned to the pass and saw the dead bodies of our enemies piled up, we realized...

_We were Victorious,  
But it hurt so much._

* * *

**[Mountain Killer (LvL 1) Cost: 1000 MP**  
**Nature takes a long time to sculpt you, but I don't have that time.**  
***Effect: Causes four jagged lines of spikes to sprout from point of impact. **  
***Effect: +50% Armor Penetration**  
***Effect: -250 physical damage to self**  
***Effect: 500 physical damage per spike (4 x 25 x 500 = 50,000 physical damage total against armies)]**

* * *

**Battle of Zepolya-Pears Pass: 1 AS**

**Clan Casualty:  
34 (34%)  
Ally(Kerman rebel) Casualty:  
865 (32%)  
Enemy(YCM raiders) Casualty:  
1,866 (77%)**

***Harsh Victory!***

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 245:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 123  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+532.5) (+2.25 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+12.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1069(+801.75 (SGMII))  
DEX: 151  
AGI: 261  
END: 267  
INT: 192  
WIS: 204  
CHA: 115  
Unused Points: 117**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +910  
Infamy: +100**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII)**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 5)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 51) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 34)  
Reinforcement (LvL 10)  
****Sonar (LvL 32)  
Time Decel (LvL 1)  
Mountain Killer (LvL 1)**x

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 4)**x**  
Archery (LvL 23)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 16)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 30)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 16)**x**  
Charging (LvL 18)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 17) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 12)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 13)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 5)**x  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 4)  
Intimidation (LvL 15)  
Language (LvL 3): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 1)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 10)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 2)  
Physical Durability (LvL 39)  
Running (LvL 37)  
Teaching (LvL 9)  
Throwing (LvL 25)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 18)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**59 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
60 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
14 Faze (Candy)**(xx)  
**1 Phased (Sokar) **(xxx)**  
15 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
38 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
33 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
17 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
48 Imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
6 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
55 Fairies**(x)  
**21 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**27 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (True Race)  
**51 Humans ()** (True Race)  
**5 Taurens (****Xumalhoof****)** (True Race)  
**27 Beastkins ()** (True Race)  
**45 Grey Dwarves(Golt, Golthaum)** (True Race)

**Warrior Count:** 108

**Total:** 466

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 1500**  
regionalPower**: 2.0

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 2.0)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +700 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +600 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 30)  
**Yoal-Cohkam Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 9)

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Because Ruto was too busy giving others their class that he forgot to give himself one. And since I'm writing this mostly from his perspective, I can't exactly say that. Changing perspective to show the error he made for that one mistake would have broken the flow of the story as well.


	49. Chapter 49

**For those of you who did notice, yes, I did change my nickname. This is because I decided to just enter the internet under one name: Akallas. You can find me on Steam, forums, LoL, whatever. If you see Akallas, it's 90% that it's me.**

**Longest chapter yet for this story (Gamer of Konoha's longest was 7k including AN and other info)**

* * *

_**The First Expansion Arc**_

* * *

**Day 246:  
**

When the day dawned upon the beleaguered but triumphant warriors of the Kerman rebels and the Ironwood warriors, it was a day of the funeral for their dead comrades.

Due to time constrains, the Kerman rebels allowed the Ironwood warriors to cremate their dead comrades while they moved on. The rebels simply did not have the time to stick around when they were needed elsewhere.

They did stick around for the cremation funeral though, at least.

But I had pulled aside Weissland and gave him a verbal beating. Not only had his selection of troops cost me my biggest loss, but it also cost him nearly half of his own men. He apologized profusely, and told me that he had no idea that Knight whatever-his-name-is was going to act so rashly when he had been clearly told by Weissland himself that following my orders was paramount.

I let him go after that. I couldn't fault him for the action of another.

We went our separate ways from there. The Kerman rebels went north, passing by Yuhl Pass on their way up, while we headed back to Ironwood City.

* * *

Our arrival was met with cheers of the innocent and the awed.

Seren would have liked this, a corner of my mind thought.

But Seren was dead.

It reminded me something too.

Of the initial 35 imps who had followed me, including Shirou, there were maybe 21 left.

My colony-siblings were dying off, one by one.

It was a horrible realization, but one I came to quickly accept.

'At least they died protecting others and each other,' I thought to myself. No, I reassured myself that such was the case. 'None of them died in slavery like we would have under orcs. We fought along side each other against the bullywugs, the humans, and the orcs.'

I looked upon the crowd cheering for me and the warriors.

It was a bittersweet victory, perhaps one of many to come.

'Will it be this hard on me for every victory I make?' I asked myself as I put on a cheerful grin, as I suppose a part of me was, and played briefly with the few children that came up to me.

Ping!

**[You have gained a new trait!**  
**Family Commander **  
_Why must my men die because of some old douche sitting on a pile of gold coins when they could be drinking with me? With the girl we saw in the tavern, We could've had org-! Ow!_  
***Effect: +10% Army Defense Boost**  
***Effect: +10% Army Health Boost**  
***Effect: +10% Army Endurance Boost]**

...

I suppose every little thing helps.

* * *

After I ate my lunch, while most of the warriors who had fought with me opted to just go home and sleep, I met up with the Small Chief Council to hear news, discuss actions, and to enjoy their company.

Senna was the first to speak. "While you were gone, we received another string of immigrants. Now our city's population numbers at 548."

I blinked. "Was it an entire clan?" I asked her.

Senna shook her head. "No. Most of them were small family units from all over the Carpathi Mountains. The biggest group had 26 individuals."

After thinking about it for a while, I nodded. It was only natural for weak people to seek safety and prosperity under someone strong. I was both of those. I offered both safety and prosperity. My city, despite its rapid expansion, was well on its way to becoming a great city in a mere few years, compared to how slowly some of the human cities grow.

"We also have a new race among us."

That got everyone's attention.

"Can the representative of the race join us briefly?" she asked me.

I nodded.

Senna stood up from her seat and walked over to the meeting room's door. She opened it slightly and nodded through it. She turned to us. "I would like to introduce to you the current leader of the Arakkoa race in our city, Kakreem." She then gently swung open the door.

And a bird man walked in.

Now, if I said that out loud, it would have been rude.

This arakkoa fellow stood like a man, but had a bird's head (without the obnoxiously large eyes that most birds had). He also had a lot of feathers about him, especially underneath his arms and on his head.

Scratch that, this was a bird given a man's skeletal structure, the end.

"I welcome you to our city, Representative Kakreem. It is a pleasure to meet you and have your people in our city."

Kakreem bowed. "The pleasure is all mine, Chief Ruto. It is gracious of you to have accepted people like us."

Shirou raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with your people?" he asked.

Kakreem frowned. "It's just ..." the birdman muttered before sighing. "Truth be told, our race has only been on Andalusia for three centuries, and because of that, there aren't many those knows about us enough to trust us."

I nodded. I could see it happening, especially among the "True" races.

"And because we are not trusted, we are forced to find jobs, works, and occupation that requires ... well, little resume. As a result, we are even less trusted and the cycle goes on."

Again, I could see it happening. I nodded to him, urging him to continue.

"Truth be told, even I had to dip my hand in some of the more ... unsavory business," Kakreem said with a low squawk. "As long as you protect us, give us prosperity, and give us hope, Chief Ruto, we will obey your will."

I nodded once more. "Thank you for your trust i-."

Kakreem shook his head. "Not trust. The moment we see that you become tyrant is the day we leave."

This may be troublesome. "And whose definition of a tyrant are you going to be following?"

"The one that is common to all races, of course."

I scoffed. "Do as you will then. Shirou will give you the list of few rules we have in our city once our meeting is over. I also expect you to be respectful, honest, fair, and active with the entire city and clan."

He bowed and left.

"... I understand his attitude, but it doesn't mean I like him."

Senna just chuckled. "I think he's a bit rebellious."

"Against what? I haven't done anything to him."

"No, but what he didn't tell you is that the arakkoas that he led to our city were all slaves, including himself."

...Okay, that was new.

"From what he told me, the instability you caused with the destruction of Galburia's army at Pset set off a chain reaction. Counts, Dukes, and merchants who were all vying for power have declared a simultaneous war for independence. In the chaos that followed, Kakreem escaped with his kin."

"I see," I muttered.

"Despite his rough demeanor, I can sense that he respects you, if only for causing the chaos that led to their freedom."

... I suppose new things can surprise me.

Tsundere, ex-slave birdman with a family to take care of certainly fits into the "new" category.

Once the discussion about the new addition to our city subsided, I broke what I truly wanted to say.

"These raids are not going to stop."

Everyone turned to me with wide eyes.

"Because the root of the problem lay not with the empire and their raiders but rather the ones who suggested that we be raided."

Iskan stood up with rage clear on his face. "Who dares to attack us?!"

"Why, our southern neighbor, of course!" I said in a sarcastically cheerful voice.

Everyone blinked.

"Who?"

I blinked right back. "Right. I didn't quite share what I learned from that orc raider I interrogated." I paused for a while to organize the facts together before spinning the recent news of the world around us.

"The Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -the ones sending raiders- are having a civil war with an outside nation backing up the rebels. The civil war had been going on for so long that the empire feared for its economy and treasury. To sustain their economy, livelihood, and the civil war in their favor, the empire issued a decree to all of its clans, mercenaries, and warlords: raid whoever and whatever you want, just give the government 50% of it back as tax.

"The orcs, while a warring kind, had never really allowed such blatant raiding to occur. Raiding, as I learned from our orcish raider, was an act of clan's desperation. And the empire was desperate. All of the clans of the empire so set out to raid.

"That's where Carpathi comes in. From what I understand, the rugged mountains and the valleys between us and the empire is enough to keep them out as they cannot perform a wide raid attack in the mountains and any large number would suffer starvation. The lizardman petty king of Lower Carpathi decided that he would weaken us by supporting these raiders. He provided with food and a place to hide out, which is much less costly than personally having his own people wage a guerrilla warfare on us.

"So having received supply aid, the orcs were able to raid the valleys to our east until we beat them back yesterday. Despite this, I saw how much they had done in the month they were there."

I stopped here to pull out a leather pouch from my Inventory. It was a small pouch. "This is a pouch containing raw diamond ores that the bullywugs were preparing to sell to the orcs. Instead of buying them, the orcs looted them from the bullywugs. This is but a small portion of the loot they had made off of the bullywugs.

"You see? If Lower Carpathi hadn't helped the empire, then the empire would not have raided us; we weren't worth it before they got help. If we allow Lower Carpathi to continue to supply our enemies, these raids will not stop -and even war might break out."

Ping!

**[Your charismatic monologue has increased your CHA by 1!]**

The council agreed to strike against the lizardmen./

* * *

After the Small Chief Council meeting was over, Shirou took to the side and asked for an [Observation] of himself.

"Why?" I asked even as I did so.

"I haven't evolved yet, even though I probably killed more than anyone in this city, definitely more than you too."

I nodded. That was definitely strange. If anything, he should have evolved already.

Ping!

[Shirou's EXP is cut down to 10% for any kills made with his {Noble Phantasms} not of his origin. No more information available!]

"Oh. It says here that you get only tenth of the EXP if you kill or win with your {Noble Phantasms}."

He fell to his knees in dejection. "Why me..."

I chuckled. "Okay, here are your stats."

**Shirou  
[Teacher Shirou] [Mentor Shirou]  
LvL 87  
**

**Race: Pale Oni  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 200  
Mana: 2,000**

**STR: 233  
DEX: 386  
AGI: 303  
END: 140  
INT: 160  
WIS: 200(+90)  
CHA: 61  
**

**Spirit: 31  
Magic: 111  
Power: 68**

**Control: 210**

**Fame(Prestige): 430  
**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Anti-Hero, Diligent, Honest, Kind, Protector, Reincarnation, Quick, Attractive, Brave, Proud, Chef, Sword-Affinity, Content, Mentor  
**

"I'm close then."

"Yup."

He nodded and then ran out of the meeting room.

Obviously to LvL himself up.

I later found him making new forging techniques using magic.

* * *

**Day 245:**

For the past week, I had allowed the warriors to rest and train themselves up once more. Shirou and I rotated often to pitch our warriors against polar opposites of the battlefield.

When I felt that they had recovered and trained sufficiently enough, I sent a mail to the Petty King Jhasmu-Yudan of Lower Carpathi. I demanded that he stop his support of the oricsh raiders raiding my land.

For the rest of the day, I trained myself and my skills, getting 3 more STR, 2 more INT, 1 more WIS, and 5 LvL Ups on [Double Strike]. Candy and Shirou joined me.

* * *

**Day 249:**

I got a reply back from the Petty King, and he denounced me for slandering his 'beautiful' name.

No joke, he seriously wrote that.

I showed it to the council, and we laughed about it.

I wrote up a letter and sent it to him.

* * *

_To the Petty King of Lower Carpathian Kingdom,_

_In your last letter, you decided to ignore me and call bullshit. I asked you to stop supporting the empire and its evil-doing raiders. A sensible thing of any ruler._

_No, instead, you declared that I am defaming you when I haven't even released the letter to the public to view._

_Or if you did, then you are stupid as you defamed yourself._

_But you ignored my warning and sent me such a letter, denying your involvement._

_Well._

_I hope you a good day, because this is a declaration of war._

_From the 13th day of Aeroki Month to until you or your successor signs a treaty of surrender, The Petty Kingdom of Lower Carpathi and the Ironwood Clan are now at war._

_Signed,_  
_Chief Ruto of the Ironwood Clan and Ironwood City_

* * *

**-xX*-Akallas von Aerok-*Xx-**

* * *

**Omake: **  
**Solution to a Smelly Problem**

Dresa grumbled as she woke up. The fresh morning air -.

Scratch that.

What was supposed to be a fresh morning air smelled of piss and shit.

It had been smelling like so for the past few months, ever since there was a huge influx of new members joining the clan and the city.

"We have to do something about this," she grumbled as she downed a mug of Psetia Mead. "I'm going to go nuts. The mines are worse than this."

Shirou decided that moment to join them. "Something wrong, guys?"

"It smells. Everywhere," Dresa deadpanned.

Shirou sighed. "It does. I've been meaning to get Ruto's help with it-"

"Our genius planner has a plan to get rid of the smell and the ... stuff?" Iskan asked.

He nodded. "I've just been too busy with the fighting and resear-"

"Did you make a plan for it? Please tell me you have some kind of a plan."

Shirou blinked. "Well, I do."

* * *

**517 years later...**

"And that is how the sewer system beneath these very streets were born," a troll guide said proudly to the group of tourist he was leading. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what happens in pubs: leaders talk about how to improve the city."

* * *

**-xX*-Akallas von Aerok-*Xx-**

* * *

**Omake 2  
(It's been a while since we heard from Lelouch...):**

It was hard not to feel small in a world like Andalusia. That's certainly how most of the people felt anyway, regardless of race or position in life.

Lelouch vi Britannia was no exception, but perhaps because he knew of things that even his fellow individuals did not know (again, regardless of race or position), his perspective of the world was also much bigger, and made him feel even smaller.

"Your majesty."

Lelouch looked over his shoulder. "What is it, Zabina?" he asked his Chancellor.

"Envoy of the Black Drakken Flight has arrived, and has desired to meet you. His size has ... prevented him from entering our palace."

He raised an eyebrow. "Lead the way then."

Perhaps it was moments like this that Lelouch felt small.

The palace of Kingdom of Caladria was a big thing. Even for a nation that is considered "second-rate" in the entirety of the world of Andulasia, Caladria's palace brimmed with gold, silver, gems, and art. It easily rivaled the Imperial Palace of the Pendragon. It was not as big as "I-am-half-the-size-of-the-capital-city" Pendragon. No, it rivaled it in its splendor. Ancient artifacts, works of art and philosophy, everything!

It was, after all, the oldest kingdom still standing.

In fact, it was the first kingdom to have risen from then nationless and chaotic world of Andalusia where clans and tribes of races vied for power.

A kingdom that is more than 14,000 years old.

It really made Lelouch feel small, and he was not used to it, even though he had been reborn in this world.

As the palace gates appeared before him and the guards slowly opened the wooden gates, I was met with a small crowd of courtiers, guards, commoners, and a very big dragon.

It stood on the ground with its two hind legs and used its long arms that was also its wings as a support. Its black scales shined dimly in the sunlight and it was four times tall as himself. Its crested reptilian head bowed as it saw me approach.

"Welcome to the Kingdom of Caladria, Envoy of the Black Flight."

Before this giant of a living being (and if the books were correct, drakken people grew none stop, meaning that this giant drakken was at least 300 years old), Lelouch felt small, physically.

"I thank you for your welcome, Your majesty. It has been some years since I was able to set foot on the grounds of your majesty's palace."

"Then I suppose it wouldn't be too rude to push aside the pleasantries to get back to how our two nations will act with one another?"

The drakken smirked. "Of course not, sir. I would be only too happy to do so."

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 249:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 123  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+535.5) (+2.25 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+12.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1071(803.25)  
DEX: 151  
AGI: 261  
END: 267  
INT: 192  
WIS: 204  
CHA: 115  
Unused Points: 117**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +1035  
Infamy: +150**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 5)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 51) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 34)  
Reinforcement (LvL 10)  
****Sonar (LvL 32)  
Time Decel (LvL 1)  
Mountain Killer (LvL 1)**x

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 4)**x**  
Archery (LvL 23)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 16)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 30)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 16)**x**  
Charging (LvL 18)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 17) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 12)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 13)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 10)**  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 4)  
Intimidation (LvL 15)  
Language (LvL 3): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 1)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 10)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 2)  
Physical Durability (LvL 39)  
Running (LvL 37)  
Teaching (LvL 9)  
Throwing (LvL 25)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 18)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**69 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
66 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
16 Faze (Candy)**(xx)  
**1 Phased (Sokar) **(xxx)**  
21 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
52 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
38 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
19 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
34 Imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
7 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
39 Fairies**(x)  
**21 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**51 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (True Race)  
**51 Humans ()** (True Race)  
**22 Taurens (****Xumalhoof****)** (True Race)  
**27 Beastkins ()** (True Race)  
**45 Grey Dwarves(Golt, Golthaum)** (True Race)  
**25 Arakkoa (Kakreem)** (True Race)

**Warrior Count:** 116

**Total:** 604

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 1500**  
regionalPower**: 2.0

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 2.0)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +700 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +600 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 30)  
**Yoal-Cohkam Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 9)

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Statistics (requested by Kejmur):  
Easy enough to create. Compares only STR, END, and AGI. This is purely for comparison of physical statistics, not training or fighting skill/style.**

**I'm doing this because he is the 1500th reviewer. I'm putting in some effort here.**

**All of them are rounded up.**

Haruno Sakura (After canon):  
STR: 120 (1,500 max /w charkra)  
END: 180  
AGI: 320

Senju Tsunade(AC):  
STR: 200 (2,000 max wc)  
END: 160  
AGI: 280

Naruto (AC):  
STR: 530 (900 wc) (1,200 max wKyuu)  
END: 400 (x2 max wKyuu)  
AGI: 400 (x2 max wKyuu)

Ruto(This Chapter):  
STR: 1,870  
END: 270  
AGI: 260

Candy:  
STR: 220  
END: 160  
AGI: 500

Shirou(Re:Gamer, this chapter):  
STR: 230 (520/w Rein)  
END: 140  
AGI: 300 (410/w Rein)

Shirou (After Fifth Holy Grail War):  
STR: 200 (350/w prana)  
END: 100  
AGI: 100 (200/w prana)

Iskan:  
STR: 500  
END: 260  
AGI: 130

Sokar(This chapter):  
STR: 280  
END: 120  
AGI: 350

* * *

**Race Summaries**  
**Part 4:**

**Drakken:**  
The sentient cousin of the illustrious dragons, drakkens share many physical features of the dragon. They are both reptilian, have wings as adults, are wingless in their infant stages, have powerful jaws, and are capable of breathing fire. Drakken have two more features on top of that that makes them stronger than dragons: a sentient and sapient mind and the ability to wield magic. While not the first race nor the oldest living race, the drakkens can live up to be thousand years old. With their age, they grow. Older drakkens also grow horns that can either jut backward or curve forward.  
The biggest drakken was Father Cro'canulis, the Patriarch of the Kartros Clan of the Black Drakken Flight. He was 1,899 years old when he was measured at 655 meters from tip of his nose to the end of his tail and 400 meters from wingtip to wingtip. He lived another fifty years before falling in battle against the now gone Empire of the East, which controlled all of what is today Galburia, Transylia, Carpathia, western Yoal-Cohkman Empire, Tyronia, Kalavania Kingdom, Hlynovukos Grand Duchy, and parts of Volreek Empire. He died after personally slaying 13,000 soldiers, 300 siege engines, 1,000 mages, and burning down a mountain.  
His skull decorates the halls of Black Drakken Flight Hegemony's capital. It measures to be at 99 meters in length and 50 meters wide without horns and 78 meters with horns. Each horn was estimated to be around 9 meters at its thickest and on average 20 meters long without being curled up as it is.  
Drakken lay eggs in batches of 6 to 10 per mother, but drakken reproduction cycle lasts 5 years before they can give birth again. They are also a True Race.  
Racial Trait:** [Knowledge Seekers]**  
Average lifespan: 1040 years

**Arakkoa:**  
A true race like the drakkens, arakkoans have avian features that run much more deeply than any other race. They lay 3~9 eggs every 7 months on average. While they possess wings for arms, they are not good flyers (and at best, gliders). This does not make them poor fighters, however, as they are known to use their feathers in various distracting styles to unsettle their enemies mind. A common fighting style of the Arakkoa is the usage of pepper and itching powder on their feathers. When fighting, thye spread their wings and flap, causing pepper and itching powder to spread. Suffice to say, enemies do not enjoy fighting arakkoan dancing warriors.  
However, they are small in number and are often exploited. The biggest exploitation of the arakkoan people is enslavement of them. Due to their reproduction cycle being so short, shortest of all true races in fact, they are often kept as slaves to provide for large manual labor force. Most half-breeds of the arakkoans are known to possess beautiful features that rival elves, which makes their enslavement only worse as rape is common.  
Racial Trait: **[Rage of the Jungle]**  
Average lifespan: 77 years

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Because Ruto was too busy giving others their class that he forgot to give himself one. And since I'm writing this mostly from his perspective, I can't exactly say that. Changing perspective to show the error he made for that one mistake would have broken the flow of the story as well.

* tagamat - you are REALLY pinned on mounts, aren't you? Don't worry, the mounts will come by Chapter 60. Which would be ... around May, if I am not too busy with my finals or research papers.

*So there was this Guest that went off and demanded I change my story to his tune. I read its reviews, and actually had a good laugh. I imagined a little kid attempting to "bully" a teenager. It was cute.

*I suppose I can try to keep the chapter length around 2.5~3k now that I've settled into the quick write pace.

*Akritedus: Thank you for the information, matey. Will be sure to change that later.

*Double Strike is no longer a combat-only skill.

*Ruto will obtain his class when someone points it out. As of now, people think he did, so no one really will...yet.


	50. Chapter 50

**Day 250:**

The War against Pillage Supporting Lizardman of the Lower Carpathi began on the 250th day of my life as a troll.

I put aside 30 of my warriors and rangers to the defense of the city with Shirou in charge, while Candy and I led the rest of the warriors.

We took the Vein Passes south of our Ironwood City.

Vein Pass differed from Zepolya-Pears or Yuhl Pass because it was actually three passes made into one by some historic event quite a few years ago (meaning more than a thousand years ago). In the middle of the pass is a large open space suitable for building a fort or outpost.

We passed by the pass without issue, though. The lizardmen had not set up anything there.

Once we were in Lower Carpathi, I realized just how open it was. While it was still surrounded by mountains with few peaks in the middle of the valley itself, the Lower Carpathian valleys were ... huge. Like 5 times wider than the widest valley width of Upper Carpathi, and the widest point was about 10 kilometers.

The soil was really dark here too.

I wonder why Christopher (the duke) didn't attempt to conquer this place. It was obviously a good place to farm. It was a waste on these lizardmen.

As Candy, my troops, and I trekked deeper into their territory, we found ourselves engaging against the lizardmen at increasing interval.

These lizardmen attempted to ambush us most of the time, but my [Sonar] prevented that by giving their positions away to me.

And each time they did strike, they were repelled without a single casualty on my side while they suffered near half annihilation.

"This is too easy," I said out loud as our troops made headway. It was now dusk, and our warriors were setting up camp on the mountain side where the river flowing from Twin Peaks split into two.

"Shouldn't we thankful that it is easy?" Candy asked me.

I looked to her.

Once again, when I was alone by myself, thinking about strategies to employ and tactics to use, she had approached me by herself.

I sat with a small campfire going in front of me. My tent was slightly separated from the rest of the camp with it being on a higher ground; I wanted to be able see all of my warriors before I slept.

And then Candy came and didn't set her tent up.

Talking of tents, during the few weeks our rangers had spent killing Shkifield all those days ago, we have devised our own tents.

Our tents were made up of elm deer leathers and had enough room for two people to comfortably sleep.

Well, for me, I had to devise my own tent due to my physical size. So whereas my warriors' tents were at max 1.5 meters tall, mine was 2.4 meters tall. Thankfully, I had my [Inventory] to help me there.

I could kind of see where this was going, and I didn't know whether I liked it or not. I was definitely leaning towards "like," though.

"How do you feel about all this?" she asked me.

After a moment of pause, I looked to her. "The clan or the war?"

"Both."

I looked back down at the campfire. I watched the fire pop and burst.

"...Honestly, I am happy."

She raised an eyebrow. I know I'm not looking at her, but I can 'feel' the change, so to speak.

I looked up to the dusk sky. "When I first set up what would be the citadel of our city, I didn't know much about what was going on. I was trying to defend ourselves from things like bullywugs or those orcs. But now that I think about it, the orcs that drove me and my imp colony out of our forest are different species than the ones we killed a week ago."

She nodded. "I remember."

I looked at her and then remembered.

Candy was one of the founding members of the clan as well. She was with me as we escaped the pillaging and looting ways of those ... pig orcs(?).

"But how are you happy?" she asked me.

I paused again.

"Because I'm doing something no one has ever done and I'm doing it for the right reason."

There was a pause between the two of us. Then Candy leaned on my shoulder.

"And we'll always follow you for that, Ruto."

I smiled gently even as I stared deeper into the fire.

"I know."

* * *

**Day 251:**

When I woke up the next day, I found myself my tent's bed.

Candy, who had refused to set up her own tent, was now sleeping on a bed on the other side of my own tent.

The dawn sky was a beautiful mixture of orange and blue.

...

And there was smoke.

My mind snapped into place as I looked upon the horizon where the smoke was coming from.

It was definitely nowhere near my Ironwood City because I was staring in the opposite direction.

I quickly let out a pulse of [Sonar] but found the origin of the smoke outside of my ability's reach.

"Yuyu!" I shouted and my personal fairy scout came rushing to me.

"Yes, Chief?!"

I pointed to the smoke. "Get me some intel right away."

"Yes, Chief!" Then Yuyu flew away.

On the other hand, my shouting had apparently woken up Candy. She was already armed and ready to go. For some reason though, she looked happy. "Is it the enemy?" she asked.

"Don't know," I replied. "But get the rest of the warriors up and running. I want to be able to react as soon as possible."

"Yes, Chief." With that, she too ran off.

So with nothing to do, I sat down in front of the dead campfire and waited.

* * *

When my eyes opened, I was not staring at the dead campfire or my warrior's camp.

No.

I was in a endlessly white plane where nothing but I existed.

I slowly unfolded my arms and looked about.

This ... certainly was a new experience.

Then a shiver traveled up my spine and I spun around, ready to punt whoever was behind me.

And there was someone behind me.

But instead of punching, I froze.

"...Kyuubi?"

* * *

Yuyu gasped at what she was seeing.

Below her was a massive orc raiding party. How her fellow fairy scouts had missed this, she didn't know.

What she did know was that she was watching a lizardmen city (hard to acknowledge reptilian headed people as anything but lizardmen) being raided by a orc raid party of at least five hundred.

She u-turned in her flight back towards -.

Suddenly, her body lurched up and she began to fall.

'Eh?'

She looked at herself and found an arrow through her chest.

"Ha... Ha..." she laughed exasperatedly in her pain as she fell. She died before she struck the ground, which would have killed her anyway.

* * *

"What are you doing here? In fact, where have you been?"

Kyuubi, no longer a giant monstrosity but rather a fox that was just big as himself, just grinned. "Been a while, kid."

"What happened?"

"Well," Kyuubi muttered. "When you died fighting those bugs, your power dragged me away with you. But once we reached this world, our souls that is, it no longer had power over me, especially considering that the seal was no longer in place. It let me go, but I didn't realize until later that you weren't with me or anywhere around me."

"And then...? Were you reborn as a stupid thing too?"

Kyuubi's grin turned from gentle to feral. "That's where it gets very funny, kid. You see...

_I simply reformed as myself  
Without restraints  
Without prisons  
...I was free_

* * *

My eyes snapped open once more and I found myself staring at a message.

Ping!

[Clan mate 'Yuyu' has been slain]

Ping!

[Temper rising!]

I slowly stood up.

How?

Fairies are too small to be targeted from the ground, especially when they are flying high up as my fairy scouts do.

...

Someone with detection skill and accuracy skills were over there in the smoke.

"And I'm going to kill you for killing my clan mate...!" I hissed.

Candy came up to me, surprised by my anger. "Chief-?"

"Yuyu was just killed."

She froze. "I see. We march on?"

I nodded.

* * *

It took us a hour to reach the origin of pillar of smoke, and what we found was a scene not too unlike what I saw in the dead bullywug city.

Except for two things.

One, the inhabitants were still fighting fiercely.

Two, the attackers were still here.

The fighting inside the city that we had found had moved on from the walls to the deep interior of the city. The walls of the city were similar to how my own city's walls were: made up of cobblestone and fixed with mortars.

The defenders were lizardmen and the attackers were orc raiders. They did not fly the same flag as the orc raiders Weissland and my troops drove out of our lands, but they were still imperial raiders.

So why were they raiding their allies? Or when the cooperation fell through with the defeat of their raiding army, the imperials decided to turn on the lizardmen?

"Engage everyone," I said. "Both of them are our enemies."

"Yes, sir."

With that, my warriors charged into the battlefield and I jumped up onto the battlement of the wall. Once there and steady, I projected a bow and a quiver of Bomb Arrows.

"... I wonder," I muttered.

I nooked an arrow and pulled back.

"[Crushing Blow]," I muttered.

The arrow suddenly took on a yellow hue before I let it loose. It flew and ...

Punched right through the head of an orc who was about to kill a defenseless and wounded lizardmen. From there, it traveled onward until it struck the ground. It exploded, taking out two lizardmen and three orcs.

I whistled.

Ping!

New Skill created!

**[Piercing Blow (LvL 1) Cost: 50 MP**  
**Armor? What armor?**  
***Effect: +50% Armor Penetration**  
***Effect: +100% Physical Damage against unarmored units**  
***Effect: +50% Critical Chance against unarmored units]**

Another overpowered skill, not that I'm complaining.

* * *

An orc leading the raiders paused before it looked to the walls.

It tsk'ed.

It picked up the longbow it had dropped and nooked an arrow. "Blood Seeker!" it roared.

And let it loose.

The arrow traveled fast, ripping through the distance between the archer and his target in the span of three seconds with impossible straightness and lack of falloff.

* * *

I felt it coming before I saw it coming.

If I didn't move now, I was going to be hit with whatever that was.

"[Double Accel]!" I shouted just as my eyes caught sight of an arrow heading my way.

The world around me slowed and grayed out. But even in that state, where even my own body slowed to a crawl, the arrow moved much faster than I could.

Seeing no other option, I hoped for the best and jumped.

* * *

Candy, on the other hand, was leading Ironwood Warriors deep into enemy territory. The raiders and lizardmen she encountered so far with her warriors were neither well-trained nor rested; the battle that had taken place before the arrival of herself and the Ironwood contingent had sapped the strength of both sides, but mostly the lizardmen.

She caught sight of a small group of orcs looting without a care, and she sent her warriors after them.

"Blood Seeker!"

She snapped her head towards whoever shouted it. It sounded eerily like a spell chant of mages and Chief Ruto.

She was an orc. The orc in question was not too different from those around it, but she could tell that everyone deferred to it.

She saw it fire an arrow with speed not unlike Small Chief Shirou's.

She brandished her wisping arms.

This ... was a threat that she needed to take care of.

It started off as a walk and then a jog.

Soon, she was rushing towards that orc raider with all the speed she could muster. Then without making a sound, she jumped.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 249:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 123  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+532.5) (+2.25 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+12.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1071(803.25)  
DEX: 151  
AGI: 261  
END: 267  
INT: 192  
WIS: 204  
CHA: 115  
Unused Points: 117**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +1035  
Infamy: +150**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 5)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 51) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 34)  
Reinforcement (LvL 10)  
****Sonar (LvL 32)  
Time Decel (LvL 1)  
Mountain Killer (LvL 1)**x

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 4)**x**  
Archery (LvL 23)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 16)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 30)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 16)**x**  
Charging (LvL 18)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 17) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 12)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 13)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 10)**  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 4)  
Intimidation (LvL 15)  
Language (LvL 3): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 1)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 10)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 2)  
Physical Durability (LvL 39)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 1)  
Running (LvL 37)  
Teaching (LvL 9)  
Throwing (LvL 25)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 18)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**69 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
66 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
16 Faze (Candy)**(xx)  
**1 Phased (Sokar) **(xxx)**  
21 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
52 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
38 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
19 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
34 Imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
7 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
39 Fairies**(x)  
**21 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**51 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (True Race)  
**51 Humans ()** (True Race)  
**22 Taurens (****Xumalhoof****)** (True Race)  
**27 Beastkins ()** (True Race)  
**45 Grey Dwarves(Golt, Golthaum)** (True Race)  
**25 Arakkoa (Kakreem)** (True Race)

**Warrior Count:** 116

**Total:** 604

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 1500**  
regionalPower**: 2.0

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 2.0)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +700 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +600 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 30)  
**Yoal-Cohkam Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 9)

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Shirosaki Kizuro + few others: thank you for pointing that out.

*Yes, ladies and gentlemen, our dear beloved (or not) Kyuubi is back! What exactly did he do so far though, will remain a little bit of a mystery...

*Finally, an adversity worthy of Ruto's skills has arrived!


	51. Chapter 51

**Day 251 (Continued):  
**

Candy struck down but the orc was faster than her.

'Not that it would matter,' she scoffed.

But it did. The orc struck back at her with his yellowish green forearm protectors, and her downward vertical strike with her wisping hands was parried.

She immediately used the orc's own arm as platform to jump away from him.

She looked at her hands and then at the smirking orc.

"What did you do...?!" she hissed as she pulled out a wicked looking scimitar from within herself.

This was a little ability that all Fazes had; they could store one or two objects smaller than their head inside their body. Then without pause, she charged -disappearing for a second from everyone's view- and stabbed the orc in the chest, but only barely. The orc had a thick armor, allowing to survive the stab she made.

The orc looked surprised, but a vicious strike from it had her flying away.

She tumbled in the air before righting herself and landing down safely.

Her 'jaw' had been dislocated as well as shattered, but it quickly healed.

"What did you do...?" the orc growled in Common Human.

She was thankful that she carried with her her Shirou-gifted sword. While the oni had been very reluctant to give her this sword, he said that her style of fear-mongering battle style fit well with the sword's ability.

The Blood Theft, as the sword was named, had a very interesting ability: for every single strike she made against an enemy, she would steal a portion of their life essence and use it to heal or rejuvenate herself.

In essence, she was the battle version of a devilkin.

"Nothing much," she replied before she charged.

Again, she disappeared from sight and appeared behind the orc. She struck thrice before leaping back to avoid a horizontal slash aimed at her neck.

The orc looked very unhappy about being stabbed and slashed, but its thick armor and its own thick skin prevented much damage from being made.

Then the orc's right arm glowed. "Chains of Kobal."

Green chains shot out of the ground and wrapped around her wrists and ankles before she could even respond.

In shock, Candy forgot to keep her eyes on the orc. It charged at her and slammed its shoulder right into her solar plexus.

But the chains kept her in place and she was forced to take the full force of the strike, unable to bounce away.

Then, the orc grabbed her by the back of her head and smashed her down into the ground.

Unlucky him, there was a bit of a shade cast there by a nearby ruined wooden building.

She phased out into the shadow before appearing elsewhere.

'What is he? Is he a mage like Shirou?' she thought before disappearing once more when the orc used another "Chains of Kobal." She was prepared this time, and used the shadows to keep herself from being bound.

"This is why I hate fighting the spiritkin," the orc growled. "Don't even have the balls nor the bravery to fight us orcs in the face."

"We aren't stupid, little orc," she replied. "We fight smart."

With that, she disappeared again, only to appear in the orc's face with another stab to the very first place she already had struck before.

* * *

I growled.

I was not able to dodge the arrow. Unfortunately, I had a bit too much HP to die to a single shot from an arrow.

My right arm was not so lucky.

The arrow had struck my bicep and pierced through it. On top of that, the arrow had some kind of magic on it that forced my own blood to crystallize and jut out.

I pulled the arrow out, watching the trail of crystallized blood it left behind between itself and my wound. It was mesmerizing that such skills and spells existed.

I stood back up on the battlements and used [Sonar].

...

Candy?!

I jumped towards whoever Candy was fighting. She just took a tackle and her HP had dropped to half from that alone. It was made worse by the fact that she couldn't escape due to whatever those chains were.

I jumped on top of the slippery slopes of the wooden buildings of the lizardmen until I was above Candy's battle.

Yes, Candy was definitely in the danger zone with her HP reaching 33/120.

I jumped down.

'[Crushing Blow], [Double Strike], [Time Accel], [Piercing Blow], [Adrenaline Rush]!' I mentally activated those skills.

The orc didn't see me coming until it was too late. It saw my shadow and glanced over its shoulder to look, only to see me. It tried to jump away, but I got to him first.

It happened faster than even my eyes could handle in [Time Accel]. I struck him twice at the same time in the abdomen and the chest. The orc's armor caved in and it was thrown a hundred meter backwards. Its armor flew off as it spun midair.

To my surprise, the orc flipped in mid-air was fluently as Candy often do as the armor flew off, and landed perfectly on its two feet. Well, now that its thick armors are off, I could tell that the orc is a he.

"Che," he grunted. "So you came, Troll King of Carpathi?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?" I asked. "And what are the imperials doing here?"

The orc raider raised an eyebrow. "You attack us first and demand such answers?"

"Shut your fucking mouth if you want to play word games with me!" I roared, my temper already breaking through and [Intimidation] activating on its own without me having to tell it to. "Your empire has raided my land without just cause! For that alone, I have the right to slay all those who fly the imperial flag!"

The orc jerked back a bit before snarling. "You think you're a big shot because you got rid of some human usurper, do you?"

"I happen to have kicked your other raiders out of my land too with less than a hundred of my own warriors, so yes, I do think so," I snapped right back.

He glared at me. "Fine then. I am Jarlmani Grothus, the clan head of the Grothus Clan. I am the leader of this raiding army."

I scoffed. Raiding my lands was not enough, so they turned on their own allies? How low can these guys go? "Well, you and your clan are not leaving here alive," I growled.

Before he could reply, I shot forth like a cannonball and slammed into him.

But Jarl was not a clan head for nothing. Especially not a ORC clan head for nothing. Perhaps I should have thought about it beforehand.

He took my charge with his own, and while he was smaller than me by a good half a meter, he carried a weight of his own.

We crashed into each other and bounced off.

Then to my surprise, Jarl jumped off from _midair_ and struck at me with a dagger he had under his clothes.

In my surprise, I grabbed the dagger, and squeaked a bit when it pierced right through my right hand.

With a blink, I realized that I had the advantage now.

"Checkmate," I told him, to his confusion.

I reared my left hand back and -!

'[Double Strike], [Double Strike], [Double Strike]!'

A total of six hits, each worth about 300 physical damage.

A total of 1,800 HP against an armorless enemy.

The mangled and disfigured body of the orc fell backward, dead.

I let out a sigh of relief as I pulled out the blade out of my right hand. Unfortunately for me, my entire right arm was now useless until I got it healed.

But I think it was worth it. Aside from Shirou, I haven't run into anyone that can withstand one or two blows from myself. This orc, though, dead now as he may be, withstand an entire arsenal of my skills point blank, even if that survival only lasted so long.

Even I couldn't last that long. My HP could be rounded to 700.

If I was faced with [Double Strike], [Piercing Strike], and [Crushing Blow], I would be dead.

The orc survived, even if he had armor.

I was impressed.

I slumped down, the exhaustion taking toll on me as well as the huge chunk of HP that I'm missing.

"Chief!"

I looked up.

Candy was standing over me. She was trembling slightly, but that was to be expected when she had barely a quarter of her HP.

I just grinned. "Let's find the rest of the bastards." Then I paused. "But before that..."

I knelt over the dead orc clan leader.

"Sorry about this."

I cut off the orc's head, projected a spear, and staked the orc on top of it.

"Okay, now let's go."

* * *

As I went about parading with the dead clan leader's head, the orc raiders began to run away from the lizardman city by the droves.

By the next hour, the city was clean of any orcs.

It just left me with the dying and tired lizardmen along with my own men. So I had most of my men round up any still-fighting lizardmen to be taken prisoner while Candy, a rest of my warriors, and I went to secure the city.

With that, the Ironwood Clan and I had dubiously conquered our first city.

* * *

I met up with the town leader. The man was a lizardman noble of the Nest of Pyrcol, who apparently have been leaders for this town of Warrhl-Ye for the past three generations. He also spoke very fluent Common Human tongue.

Lizardmen were ... very similar to reptilian kobolds, I had to admit. They both had scales and didn't stand very tall like trolls. The only difference would be that reptilian kobolds looked more structured and tall while the lizardmen looked more flat and like a snake.

"So you intend to conquer our kingdom?" Sashik Pyrcol asked me.

I nodded.

We met in the middle of the town square for all to see; I had nothing to hide.

"Why?"

"Because your 'king,'" I airquoted here. "Has been helping the very imperials you were just raped by to raid my land and my people."

Truthfully speaking, most of the bullywugs were not my people, but they were on my land. In past month or so, the bullywugs have also been quiet and keeping their head down. But an attack on my land so close to my people demanded attention.

Sashik frowned. "This is the first time I've heard of this," he said.

"It doesn't change the fact that your king brought my people upon yours on his own."

There was a pause before Sashik knelt before me on both of his knees. "Then I pledge myself and my town to your clan under condition that you are just and fair."

I blinked once and then twice. "I accept."

**[Conquest of Warryl-Ye: Success!**  
**-1 troops lost**  
**-87 defenders lost**  
**-66 raiders lost**

**Resounding Victory!]**

Ping!

**[LvL Up!**  
**+6 END]**

* * *

**Day 252:**

To bolster the half-dead town's garrison, I left behind seventy of my best warriors, including Candy, to keep it safe. I led the rest of my men back to Ironwood City to gather more warriors and to discuss my fight with the Grothus Clan head with Shirou.

On the way back to Ironwood City, I invested the points I had racked up.

All into END.

Ping!

**[Insectoid Regeneration (Trait)**  
**I can regrow my limbs, literally.**  
***Effect: Passive HP Regeneration multiplied by 10x.**  
***Effect: Adds +100 Armor (-20% Physical Damage Reduction, -10% Kinetic Damage Reduction)**  
***Effect: Once a day, you can regrow one limb completely (if removed completely initially)]**

I cut off my own right arm, which freaked everyone out, and then proceeded to regrow it on the spot.

Three of the warriors fainted on the spot.

* * *

**Akallas von Aerok**  
**Loading**

* * *

**Omake:**

They were spies for Duke Edessa of North Salmance.

The duke had recently declared war of independence against the Kingdom of Galburia had single handedly won all battles against the said kingdom. After seven battles and the death of six thousand men, Galburia surrendered, and the Duke became an independent ruler.

His first act of rulership?

Spy on the neighbors.

To that degree, he had sent spies to all nations around his duchy. This included the Ironwood Clan.

The duke was wary of the Ironwood Clan. The said clan had, after all, demolished an army fifty times their size on two different occasions.

To that end, he had sent his spies to Ironwood Clan for two things: 1) Steal any new technology or magic they could and 2) Report to the duke on the status of Ironwood Clan.

When Ironwood Clan's chief had led most of the warriors out to the clan's first offensive war, the spies had thought that it was a great time to steal.

They had been ... somewhat right, but they ran into Senna.

Yes, the beautiful and aloof Greater Fairy who controlled the Fairykin faction within the Ironwood Clan was the one they ran into.

They thought her weak. And she was.

If one was to compare her to the likes of Chief Ruto, Sokar, Candy, and Shirou.

To the likes of these spies?

She was equal to an archmage.

They got found right after raiding the Citadel of the Ironwood City, and they struck at her with their daggers.

Senna merely asked the trees to crush the intruders.

The trees, the very trees that she and her fellow fairies had bound to the entire city in its founding, rose up as one. Tendrils of roots and branches struck out like vipers. They tore through the intruders swords and ripped them apart.

By the morning, citizens of the city would only find small smears of blood on the Citadel's castle walls and a few on the seemingly innocent ground.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 252:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 124  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+600) (+22.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+12.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1200(900(SGMII))  
DEX: 151  
AGI: 261  
END: 396  
INT: 192  
WIS: 204  
CHA: 115  
Unused Points: 123**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +1035  
Infamy: +150**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 5)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 51) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 34)  
Reinforcement (LvL 10)  
****Sonar (LvL 32)  
Time Decel (LvL 1)  
Mountain Killer (LvL 1)**x

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 4)**x**  
Archery (LvL 23)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 16)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 30)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 16)**x**  
Charging (LvL 18)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 17) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 12)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 14)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 11)**  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 4)  
Intimidation (LvL 15)  
Language (LvL 3): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 1)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 10)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 2)  
Physical Durability (LvL 39)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 2)  
Running (LvL 37)  
Teaching (LvL 9)  
Throwing (LvL 25)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 20)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**69 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
65 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
16 Faze (Candy)**(xx)  
**1 Phased (Sokar) **(xxx)**  
21 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
52 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
38 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
19 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
34 Imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
7 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
39 Fairies**(x)  
**21 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**51 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (True Race)  
**51 Humans ()** (True Race)  
**22 Taurens (****Xumalhoof****)** (True Race)  
**27 Beastkins ()** (True Race)  
**45 Grey Dwarves(Golt, Golthaum)** (True Race)  
**25 Arakkoa (Kakreem)** (True Race)

**Warrior Count:** 115

**Total:** 603

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 1500**  
regionalPower**: 2.0

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 2.0)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +700 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +600 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 30)  
**Yoal-Cohkam Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 9)

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set **(it's just black and white standard armor that looks on the surface like Stromwind guard's)**  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Sorry about Riddle to those who were expecting succubixRuto. I was going to do it but it became ... unnecessary. Not with Ruto's continual exposure to Ruto anyway.


	52. Chapter 52

**Re-Updated on 3/29/2016 because my readers seemed to be confused about something! Sorry!**

* * *

**Day 252:  
**

When I entered the city, I was pleasantly surprised by the increase in the number of newcomers.

I was greeted by Senna again. "Hello, Chief."

I smiled. "The city certainly swelled in the two days that I've been gone, right?"

Her smile grew brighter.

"...What did you do?" I asked as I lost a bit of the smile I had.

"I may have spread the rumor that Ironwood Clan would defend anyone under them," Senna admitted. "And there might have been a large increase in newcomers a few days after that ... which would be yesterday."

I looked at her for a while before my own smile became brighter.

Senna was ... complicated.

First off, she was old. Centuries old. She explained to me that only reason she had not evolved earlier was because all fairies had a certain requirement for evolving.

To become a Greater Fairy, one must be bound to a land, and this was voluntary. They could leave, yes, but they would be severely weakened. It was for this reason why they were also called defenders of the land and revered as such; they literally had to defend the land.

This in turn meant that all of the Greater Fairies and Mountain Dryads in my clan were all bound to the Twin Peaks.

Second, she was scary.

Unlike myself or Shirou, she knew how to spin the intrigue webwork underneath everything. Her fairies only made this even better because no one suspects cute little fairies to be plotting behind your back.

I'm just happy she's loyal to me.

"So tell me about the new recruits," I asked her as we began to make our walk to the citadel.

Senna followed him.

I realized that we would look like. I was, after all, nearly 3 meters tall while Senna was half that. Very odd indeed.

... Or it was just me; I was the only one 3 meters tall.

"Another tribe joined us. A tribe of trolls, in fact."

I looked down to her in surprise. "There was another troll tribe out there? Aren't they rare?"

She nodded. "They are. But the Aru Tribe has been living as nomads in the imperial territory. They spoke of revoked lands and titles as well as raids against them. The last of their tribe, a total of 233 people, have joined us."

"Ah," I muttered. "Guess they saw hope here."

"Indeed. Since they were used to living as nomads, I granted them the rights to feed their herd in the western valleys. I told them not to overgraze, though."

I blinked and stopped.

"Herd?"

"Ah, right. They have about 300 animals they called kodos. They were strange creatures. Most of them were one and half times long as you are tall, Chief, and half as wide. They had really short legs too."

"Kodos? What do the Aru tribe do with them?"

"Meat, food, mount, milk."

"Hmm. What other tribes have joined us?"

"Aside from the Aru tribe, we have a tribe of oni's that joined us. The Perunish Tribe came from the north, seeking refuge with us. They have settled just a mile north of our city here."

"They didn't want to live in the city?"

"They are farmers. They wanted large tract of land."

"...How are you keeping all of these tribes and clans together, Senna? I would've run into trouble by now."

Senna just smiled. "Oh ... this and that."

_Flashback_

_Senna stood before the downed form of the Aru tribe's tribal leader. The said man was bleeding from the mouth and bruised black and blue. He was bound by tight wooden ropes._

_"You challenged me for the right to become the Clan's lieutenant and you have failed," she said coldly, flicking the green blood on her hands. "This places you under my direct rule, and I will not have such ... insubordination continue. I will continue to rule justly and fairly as Chief Ruto dictates that we small chiefs do, but you are by no means exempt from the laws. Is that understood?"_

_The terrified masses of the Aru tribe nodded as one._

_"Good. And just as I said, I know the needs of your tribe. You will be allowed to allow your herds to graze in the valleys to this city's west. But mark my words; if you do anything stupid enough to cause international mishaps or misuse the land I granted to you in our Chief's stead, there will be consequences."_

_At her words, the trees around her rose up as one._

_Ents._

_The supreme power that a non-elemental fairy could bring up._

_Normally, a Greater Fairy would be able to bring up one or two._

_But her?_

_She looked around ... and counted fifty three._

_"Understood?"_

_If anything, their nods became even more frantic._

_With that, she dismissed the ents and smiled. "Good. So who's the leader of your tribe?"_

_One of them hesitantly pointed to the bloody heap of a troll -who was still alive- only to stop and pull back the "offending" finger when Senna gave the downed troll a good kick to the chest, causing another fit of bloody coughs._

_"Who's the leader?"_

_They quickly discussed among themselves before pushing out a troll who looked no older than an adolescent._

_"T-True Born troll, Skrall Heenjikiki at your s-service."_

_"Good boy."_

_Flashback End_

Her smile just grew brighter.

I felt uneasy. '[Observe],' I mentally intoned before I entered the citadel.

**Senna  
"The Queen"**

**LvL 99**

**HP: 91  
Mana: 4,667**

**STR: 50  
DEX: 60  
AGI: 61  
END: 113  
INT: 633  
WIS: 998  
CHA: 68  
**

**Spirit: 55  
Magic: 110  
Power: 5**

**Fame(Prestige): 307  
Infamy: +55**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Loyal (Ruto), Just, Arbitrary, Powerful, Genius, Attractive, Shrewd**

'...Holy shit her stats!'

"...Hey, Senna, did I get you a Class?"

She tilted her head to the side.

* * *

Ping!

**[You have given the class {Druid} to Senna!]**

* * *

**Day 253:**

To my surprise, I got a lot of recruits to come with me as well as half of the rangers. "Why are there so many?" I asked to myself.

"That would be because they are also disapproving of slavers and raid-supporters."

I jumped half a meter into the air. I looked behind me and saw Senna.

"...Please don't scare me like that."

She just smiled beatifically.

We stood at the southern gate of the original Ironwood City's walls, and before us, there was about a hundred recruits and rangers ready to follow me. Because this was a bit sudden on my part, I was not able to get all of them the Ironwood Steel Armor set. But they did all have Ironwood Steel Spear, Ironwood Steel Shortsword, Ironwood Steel Shield, and leather armor set.

Their training could be done when we get to Warrhl-Ye, so I was not too worried.

But I knew that I had little time now. The declaration of war had been sent and I had made my first move.

From what I know, the lizardmen had more than twenty cities in their entire kingdom, and I had only conquered one. They had surrendered to me pretty bloodlessly, which made things better, but how long do I have before they strike at me? A week? Half a week?

A day?

This city was extremely close to Ironwood City, so unless they had an army bigger than five thousand, the lizardmen were not going to strike at Ironwood itself. Even if they did so, they would meet the same fate as the second Shkifield army that attacked; boulders, logs, balista bolts, and catapult slugs would rain down on them as they tried to climb.

* * *

When I arrived at Warrhl-Ye after dusk that day, I found the warriors I left behind doing one of two things.

1) Helping with the rebuilding process.

2) Bringing back wild game for food in large quantities.

In either cases, I think Shirou did well with our clan's education.

I greeted them with a grin on my face.

"You guys are doing great!" I complimented them as the hunters joined the recruits and rangers I brought with me.

They grinned and smiled at my praise. "Of course! Small Chief Shirou taught us to help our brothers and sisters! This city vowed to be under you right? That makes them our brothers and sisters! It's not like we fought too."

That was true.

While we had entered this city with the intention of conquering by sword, we ended up being their liberators and saviors instead with the orc raid in progress. Perhaps that was also why the mayor of Warrhl-Ye was so quick to capitulate to me; I had saved them when their own king had not.

* * *

**Day 254:**

I sent out scouts while I personally trained the new recruits. Aside from the guard rotation, I also gave the first expedition warriors the day off.

* * *

**Day 255:**

I shot out of my bed as the sounds of battle erupted outside.

Still in my sleeping pants, I rushed out of the room that I had chosen to sleep in in the city's inn, I saw smoke and fire erupting from the western wall.

I quickly rushed over there just like many of my own warriors. I jumped high and onto the battlement and looked into the dawn.

I grimaced.

The lizardmen had used the darkness to catch us by surprise. There were now at least five hundred lizardmen with five catapults.

Oh, and they just-.

"DUCK!" I roared as the first volley of the boulders came down upon the battlement.

The boulders crashed into the walls or flew over the battlement, striking at some of the houses within the walls.

I stood back up quickly and quickly projected a bow and three quivers of Bomb Arrows. I threw one each to two rangers on the battlement I knew to be a good shot. "Take those catapults down!" I ordered as the lizardmen charged. "And someone get the rest of the city ready!"

We were caught completely off-guard.

I stumbled as something struck my chest.

So was I.

I stared down at my chest where four crossbow bolts had found their mark in the chest and shoulder. And these were no normal crossbow bolts. They were balista bolts.

**Critical! Critical!**  
**[Hp: 37/768]**

I gawked even as I continued to stumble backward. Where the hell did they fire shit like this from?! I didn't see anything like that among them; only catapults!

My blearily eyes caught the horrified sights of my warriors who were with me on the battlement. I tried to open my mouth to speak, but I had no control.

And soon, I tipped over and off the battlement.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 252:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 124  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+600) (+22.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+12.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1200(900(SGMII))  
DEX: 151  
AGI: 261  
END: 396  
INT: 192  
WIS: 204  
CHA: 115  
Unused Points: 0**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +1035  
Infamy: +150**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 5)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 51) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 34)  
Reinforcement (LvL 10)  
****Sonar (LvL 32)  
Time Decel (LvL 1)  
Mountain Killer (LvL 1)**x

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 4)**x**  
Archery (LvL 23)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 16)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 30)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 16)**x**  
Charging (LvL 18)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 17) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 12)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 14)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 11)**  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 4)  
Intimidation (LvL 15)  
Language (LvL 3): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 1)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 10)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 2)  
Physical Durability (LvL 39)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 2)  
Running (LvL 37)  
Teaching (LvL 9)  
Throwing (LvL 25)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 20)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**302 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
177 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
16 Faze (Candy)**(xx)  
**1 Phased (Sokar) **(xxx)**  
21 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
52 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
38 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
19 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
34 Imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
7 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
39 Fairies**(x)  
**21 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**51 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (True Race)  
**51 Humans ()** (True Race)  
**22 Taurens (****Xumalhoof****)** (True Race)  
**27 Beastkins ()** (True Race)  
**45 Grey Dwarves(Golt, Golthaum)** (True Race)  
**25 Arakkoa (Kakreem)** (True Race)

**Warrior Count:** **180**

**Total: 948**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 1500**  
regionalPower**: 2.0

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.

**Vassal Tribes**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 2.0)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Nomore Tribe +700 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +600 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 30)  
**Yoal-Cohkam Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 9)

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set **(it's just black and white standard armor that looks on the surface like Stromwind guard's)**  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Petty Kingdom of Lower Carpathi  
Or otherwise known as  
Lizardmen City-State Confederation**

While not the most well known nor the most powerful in the region, the Confederation is a resilient nation. They regularly survive raids from the imperials and keep out skirmishers of the Galburia. It remains neutral to the Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi.

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Don't flame on me for making the kodos the herd beasts of trolls. It just happened.

*I will never ever respond to pairings or harem or whatevs. I'm tired of them. If you ask, then you will be ignored.


	53. Chapter 53

**Okay, so perhaps I should've explained further and have updated the chapter accordingly! **

**Lizardmen are not just one city one ruler. They rule the entire Lower Carpathi and have done so for many many decades.**

**They have more than one city. In fact, I would so far as to say they have more than twenty cities. I will add this information as additional information in the previous chapter and add some dialogue. Sorry for the confusion!**

**And he was also shot from the front, not the back. So it was not betrayal from the Warrhl-Ye lizardmen but lucky shots from those outside of the city.**

**Stupid Ruto, not putting on his armor.**

* * *

**I tried to add a bit of a twist and I get a lot of reviews about rather mad readers. The story is continuing as intended :P He will be "dying" a bit, but he ain't going to "die."**

* * *

**Day 255(Continued):  
**

My eyes opened and I frowned in confusion.

I was in the White World ... again.

And Kyuubi, the ever annoying asshole, was in front of me once more.

"Yo."

Kyuubi's grin never left his face.

"Kekekeke... So you finally got killed, eh?"

I blinked before paling. "I-I died?"

Kyuubi's grin finally fell. "Well, almost."

"...Are you going to elaborate or be a stuck-up asshole like the last life I had?"

Kyyubi's grin came right back. "Gahaha! Still the ignorant whelp as ever. Very well. You didn't die. Not yet. But you are in very critical condition. I'm sure your Gamer ability has told you so."

"Yeah, but how do you know that? It's not like you're inside of me anymore."

"Kukuku, no. In fact, I am free as anything can be. But regardless of my status, I just know it and I'm going to leave it at that."

"Fine."

"What you don't realize, however, is that things are different."

I raised an eyebrow. "Many things are different."

Kyuubi conceded with a nod. "Indeed. For example, I am also different."

"...Different how?"

Kyuubi's grin became even wider than before. "You see... When I was released upon this world, I found it to be filled to the brim with brimstone, lava, and acid. None of them hurt me, of course, but this world was so new... so full of energy." There was a pause as the Kyuubi let out a hulking laugh that lasted for at least a minute. Once it died down, Kyuubi gave me a sly grin. "I may have devoured quite a portion of it for myself. So much so, in fact, that I ... became a god."

I blinked.

"No way."

"Yes way."

"No way!"

"Yes way!" Kyuubi let out a roar filled with joy. "Oh, how I've been waiting to say that to someone from our world! I've exceeded my old man's power! I've exceeded the original form which I came from! I became an actual god!" Here, the grin fell off again. "But ... it came at a price."

I grinned. "Knew something was off."

"My existence was tied to this world, and thus, I had a obligation to fulfill."

"A god has obligations?"

Kyuubi nodded. "My obligation ... is war."

...

"What?"

"You heard me right. War. My obligation as far as the planet is concerned is to be the ultimate judge of who the victor is in the war, and it is up to me to control the 'magic' of this world to grant the rights of victory to the victor."

"No way..."

Kyuubi stood up.

Suddenly, as in a blink of an eye, it was taller than the citadel of Pset and bigger than my Ironwood City.

"Indeed," its voice boomed. "And thus, I'm giving you a special privilege. You will henceforth carry my mark, the Mark of the Red War God. So get out there and make more war! Entertain me... Mortal!"

With that, I was gone.

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, I was still falling backward, but for some reason, I no longer felt the pain of the balista bolts on my chest nor hear the still-irritating blares of "warnings" my Gamer ability sent.

Instead, it was quite.

I flipped as I fell, grabbed onto the ledge of the battlement, and pulled myself back up with ease.

There were gasps.

I blinked. "Okay, what's wrong with me this time? Actually, never mind that, we have an army to kill!"

"You got shorter!"

That gave me pause.

I stopped and looked.

Yeah, I definitely did grow shorter. I lost three-fourths of a meter worth of height.

Now, I was only a head bigger than the biggest troll. Joy.

Okay, wakey wakey, Ruto! I have an army out there ready to kill me!

I quicky looked around and saw that I was not the only one to get hit. One of the lizardmen guard had also been shot as well as one of my own warriors.

"Start firing!" I ordered as I made four more quivers of Bomb Arrows and handed them out.

* * *

Candy shot out of the bed when she heard the explosions go off. She rushed out of her claimed room in the same inn that Chief Ruto had been sleeping in and rushed out there, forgetting the fact that she only had cotton tank top and a pair of short cotton pants.

When she saw the black smokes rise from the horizon towards the south wall, she knew that battle was upon her once more.

She ran back inside, grabbed Blood Theft, and ran back out.

"Enemies are here! Enemies are here!" she shouted she ran past wooden houses she knew to house her warriors and rangers. "Chief is already fighting them! What are you waiting for! Enemies are here!"

She began to rally her troops.

* * *

On the southern wall of the Warrhl-Ye city, Iskan was seeing the smokes as well. He and the troops under his command had been awake for quite some time for their duty of watching over the walls, but they had received clear orders from Ruto.

'Even if there is battle on the other side of the city, you must keep guard over this wall. Imagine what would happen if the enemies took the chance of your absence to break the eastern gate here as well, then we would be pincered.'

That's what Chief Ruto had told him, and he would follow his orders.

But ... he never said anything about sending reinforcements.

He looked over the troops he had. He had forty warriors, five rangers, and thirty-nine recruits. "Rangers and recruits, go and help the western wall. Stick to long-range attacks if possible and do not engage the enemy unless directed to do so by either Small Chief Candy or Chief Ruto."

They saluted and ran off, led by a human squad captain called Boman.

* * *

Back at the western wall, where the unknown lizardmen army was assaulting the walls and the Ironwood archers fired back with their volley of Bomb Arrows, Candy had just arrived with thirty fully armed and armored troops. "Take station on the battlement! Don't let them get close to the gate!"

With that, she traveled through the shadows to appear on the battlement as well.

Just in time to see Chief pull out bolts thick as her own arm from his chest in horrified fascination.

...

Did the Chief become smaller?

And what were those marks all over his chest and arms?

"Sssss," he hissed. "That hurts."

"Ruto?" she asked.

He looked down at her. Even with his reduced height, he still towered over her and the rest of the warriors by a good margin. "Candy, it seems that we have visitors from the other lizardmen cities."

She looked to the fields to the west and saw the decimation-in-progress lizardmen army. The constant volley of Bomb Arrows had reduced the siege weapons into scrap wood and prevented the army from marching forward. "What do you intend to do with them?" she asked him.

"Well, we did declare war on them. It would be ... impolite to not annihilate their armies," he said as he projected a longbow and a rather long arrow.

Candy could tell though.

Unlike the Bomb Arrows which she had seen many times, this particular arrow had quadruple the amount of mana of a regular Bomb Arrow.

Ruto nooked, pulled, and let it loose in one swift motion.

The arrow flew true and struck the frontline.

Blue and white explosion rippled out like an avalanche from where the arrow landed, and wiped out the hundred or so lizardmen in an instant.

"Eh," he muttered before switching back to regular Bomb Arrows. In three swift motions, he fired three Bomb Arrows, and they exploded well, taking a small squad of lizardmen each, who were trying to use their small numbers to get to the wall fast. "Maybe in a siege warfare, I'll use those."

Candy scoffed. She had been temporarily worried for nothing after seeing him pull those bolts out. Ruto was as calm as ever, even going far as to experimenting in the battlefield.

Yup, nothing was wrong so far.

She snatched the arrow aimed at her right out of the air before snapping it in two.

Nothing at all...

* * *

I watched the remnant of the lizardmen army flee. "Keep firing at their back," I ordered as I jumped over the wall.

This army was an unknown in the sense that I did not know who had sent them at me. Was it the Petty King or one of his lords seeking to reclaim the city I had taken over? Did they just happen to run into the city?

Questions, questions, questions, and never enough answers.

I sighed. I jogged over to the dead bodies of the lizardmen and quickly looted anything redeeming. There were three hundred or so bodies of the dead lizardmen and a few dozen bodies of ... some kind of work beasts. They were bigger than myself, which made me wonder how the lizardmen tamed them. But the beasts were probably how they got the siege weapons and balistas up so quickly.

Station the siege weapons in a nearby forest (and there were many pockets of such forests in this huge valley) and during the night, have these beasts pull the siege weapons out. It still must've taken them a long time to pull because the attack only started this morning.

And a flag.

The flag in question had red and white strips with a black spear pointing up in the middle.

"...Definitely the flag of whoever sent these guys at me," I muttered to myself before stashing the flag away.

And probably my next target.

I walked back to the city, or would have if I did not see the state that the wall was in.

"Wow. What the hell did this army do to my wall?"

The wall in question had to have more than a hundred bolts of those same balista bolts stuck, concentrated towards where the battlements were.

Just how many of -?

I looked around and saw a remnant of their balista.

And I gawked. I quickly ran over to it.

It was a repeating balista!

**[Broken Repeating Balista (Uncommon)**  
_It may be broken, but if you have a good enough engineer, you may be able to fix it._  
***Effect: 10 bolts per minute (Broken)]**

Last time I tried to make one of these, I failed again and again because I didn't know how to get the reloading mechanism to work! But with this? I can make them!

I couldn't stop the chuckle and then the full-blown laughter that came out of me.

After a good while, I stopped myself, pushing the remnant of the repeating balista into my Inventory, and headed back to my city.

I jumped over the wall and told the men to pull those balista bolts out of the wall, and also ordered someone to get me that guy from ... House of ? Nest of ? Pyrcol or something. I needed to know who the owner of the flag was.

* * *

"Nest of Yonder? The name seems a bit off."

I met with the ruler of Warrhl-Ye, because I allowed him to keep the city under his control, inside the man's own manor. The "manor" in question was simply a much larger version of the wooden houses.

Prycol, the lizardmen mayor of Warrhl-Ye, sweatdropped. He had just gotten over the shock that I had grown shorter and received a 'Mark.' "It is a household name among the courts of Lower Carpathi."

"Tell me about them."

"For one, the Nestlings of Yonder are the most warlike of the Nests. My Nest prides itself in being the most rational and profiteering of the Nests in comparison. The Nestlings of Yonder love to make war. They love to challenge others to duels and go on a general rampage."

I narrowed my eyes at Pyrcol. "...And there's no bias in your statement?"

He shook his head. "Everyone of the lizardkin knows this."

"How many prominent 'Nests' are there?"

"Fifty or so, but only one Nest rules each city."

I nodded. Kind of like noble houses of the humans in this life and my past life. "Tell me about the ruling Nests and their cities. The ones that we have to immediately worry about."

"Alright," Pyrcol said before he looked around. "Is there something I can write on?"

I pulled out a random piece of parchment I had in my Inventory. Consequently, it was also the letter I had received from the Petty King.

Pyrcol pulled out a well of ink and quill, which I raised an eyebrow at.

"We're merchants. We always keep these two on us."

I just nodded. "Get on with the explanation."

"Right. Well, first, you have us, the Nest of Pyrcol," he said as he drew two circles, one inside the other. "That's our nest mark. We are rulers who rule through money and incentive, and because of this, we are considered a bit of an oddball.

"This is the mark of the Nest of Yonder," he said as he drew an axe and a sword inside a circle, crossing each other to make an 'x.' "They are the ruler of the city of Sorrhl-Ye, Norrl-Ye, and Yorrosl-Ye, which is to the west of us. They rule their city with iron fist and army. They also declare war upon other ruling Nests-"

"Wait, that's allowed?"

"If the claim is good enough, yes," Pyrcol replied before continuing. "Two decades ago, they only ruled Norrl-Ye, but they gained claims to Sorrhl-Ye and Yorrosl-Ye. After that, they somehow gained a mercenary army of two thousand and waged a successful war against them."

"So you mean to tell me that this Nest of Yonder rules over three cities?"

"Yes. On top of that, those cities are also more populaced of the eastern Lower Carpathi cities. The five hundred that came to fight you are probably only a fifth of the entire army they can muster."

"So I have at least another ... two thousand or so that I have to fight?"

He nodded nervously.

"That's nothing then."

Pyrcol gave me a open-mouthed gawk. "H-How can you say that? An army of two thousand is-!"

"Less than half of what I managed to subdue at Battle of Pset. And certainly the number that I have annihilated on two different occasions," I replied casually.

"H-How?! You only have five hundred warriors with you at best! That's what my network has told me!"

"Five hundred? Pyrcol, I have less than two hundred. Anyway, continue with the local rulers and cities."

There was a moment of disbelief from Pyrcol before he regained control of his functions. "A-Apologies. When I first heard the rumors, I dismissed them, but for them to be true ..."

I shrugged. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm still nowhere strong as I want to be."

Pyrcol just shook his head. "To the northeast, you have the Yaran-Ye. The ruler of Yaran-Ye is the Nest of Yaran. They do not have a lot of soldiers; the maximum garrison ever recorded for the city has been marked at five hundred men. However, they are also the most well trained of any Nests and cities barring none."

"How well trained?"

Pyrcol frowned. "Five hundred garrison has repeatedly thrown back raiding parties up to a thousand easily."

I whistled. "That's pretty good."

Not as good as my own people, but still good.

"Indeed. To our west is the Serrhl-Ye, not to be confused with Sorrhl-Ye. Their city lies in between two rivers, which makes siege on their city ridiculously hard. They are ruled not by a Noble Nest but a elected representative. Again, another oddball just like my own Nest."

"I can see that."

"Serrhl-Ye's people are also the most paranoid. Because raiders discouraged by Yaran-Ye often make their way to them -since my city here of Warrhl-Ye usually has a garrison of eight hundred or more. Because of this, they have made many network of hidden towers that relay fast information."

I frowned. "That sounds worse than Yaran."

"It depends. They are, however, of average experience and weaponry.

"And that is it for the immediate neighbors. Should I continue?"

"No, no. It's fine," I said as I stood up. Then I sat back down. "We never discussed the terms of your vassalship to myself."

"Yes, I had forgotten about that," he frowned.

No, you didn't. You tried to let it slip.

... Still, what can I demand from them without being a tyrant?

* * *

Ping!

**Warrhl-Ye **  
**Tax(Gold) Income from Warrhl-Ye: **8% (90 gold coins per months)  
**Labor Income from Warrhl-Ye:** 5% (88)  
**Manpower(Soldier) provided from Warrhl-Ye: **20% (130 Light Infantry, 45 Pikemen)

* * *

That now left me only one thing to do.

Look over my "new" self.

I stood in front of a polished silver mirror.

I did see that my height had shrunken. What had become prominent is my new tattoo. Never had one before...

Against the brick red background that is my skin, 9 black "tails" sprouted out from the center of my chest. The tails covered a portion of my shoulders, a large portion of my chests, some climbed up my neck only to stop below my adam's apple, and few went down towards my legs.

It wasn't ugly per say, but it certainly was not beautiful.

Eh.

Let's see what it does.

"[Observe]."

Ping!

**[Mark of the Red War God **  
**Ye has been marked. Gods now watch you.**  
***Effect: +100% Prestige won and lost on battles and wars**  
***Effect: +100% training efficiency**  
***Effect: +100% capital production **  
***Effect: +1,000 opinion with any worshipers of the Red War God**  
***Effect: -800 opinion with any worshipers of the Chaos Gods**  
***Effect: +100% Army Damage (must lead personally)**  
***Effect: +50% Army HP (must lead personally)]**

... OP as fuck passive support skill much?

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 252:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 124  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+600) (+22.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+12.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1200(900(SGMII))  
DEX: 151  
AGI: 261  
END: 396  
INT: 192  
WIS: 204  
CHA: 115  
Unused Points: 0**

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +1035  
Infamy: +150**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 5)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 51) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 34)  
Reinforcement (LvL 10)  
****Sonar (LvL 32)  
Time Decel (LvL 1)  
Mountain Killer (LvL 1)**x

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 4)**x**  
Archery (LvL 23)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 16)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 30)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 16)**x**  
Charging (LvL 18)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 17) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 12)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 14)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 11)**  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 4)  
Intimidation (LvL 15)  
Language (LvL 3): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 1)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 10)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 2)  
Physical Durability (LvL 39)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 2)  
Running (LvL 37)  
Teaching (LvL 9)  
Throwing (LvL 25)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 20)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**302 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
177 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
16 Faze (Candy)**(xx)  
**1 Phased (Sokar) **(xxx)**  
21 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
52 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
38 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
19 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
34 Imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
7 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
39 Fairies**(x)  
**21 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**51 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (True Race)  
**51 Humans ()** (True Race)  
**22 Taurens (****Xumalhoof****)** (True Race)  
**27 Beastkins ()** (True Race)  
**45 Grey Dwarves(Golt, Golthaum)** (True Race)  
**25 Arakkoa (Kakreem)** (True Race)

**Warrior Count:** **180**

**Total: 948**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 1500**  
regionalPower**: 2.0

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.

**Vassal (Tribes, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 16)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 23)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 2.0)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Aru Tribe +500 ****(Vassal)****  
Dhan'Thal Tribe +900 ****(Vassal)****  
Nomore Tribe +700 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Warrhl-Ye City -100 ****(Vassal)****  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +600 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 30)  
**Yoal-Cohkam Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 9)

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set **(it's just black and white standard armor that looks on the surface like Stromwind guard's)**  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Lumster: Everything is explained in this chapter, but thank you for pointing those out.

*To all my readers confused about dmg output: Well, the thing is, 1 point of STR doesn't translate directly to 1 point of physical damage. Each point of damage depends on how much Ruto's skill translate into damage. In the case of Unarmed damage, it would be around 15% efficiency at the moment plus and minus 5% depending on the angle. I did this because Ruto would otherwise gain too much too fast, and ... let's be serious here: it's no fun reading the same thing over and over again. Ruto one-punch this, Ruto one-punch that. It gets boring after a while. There needs to be a challenge or hardship! As Saitama says, "Overwhelming Strength is **_boring_**." _-Chapter 3 of One Punch Man_


	54. Chapter 54

**Day 263:**

Lizardmen were diverse, just as my own race was.

The first thing I noticed about the lizardmen were their sizes. They ranged from 2.5 meters tall to a meter and half. There were very few who went over the 2.5 meters, but there were quite a few enough to say that it was not rare.

On top of that, they also had subspecies. Many of the lizardmen under me in particular had red scales as opposed to black scale that the Nest of Yonder are said to be.

Also, tails. There were some lizardmen with no tails. Some with. Some with two. Surprisingly enough, all of the two tailed lizardmen had blue scale, single tailed were red, orange, green, black, and white, and I have yet to see no tail. Pyrcol insists that they exist, however.

Aside from that, they were hardy and stubborn people. They accepted my rule because I had rescued them and offered them a better deal for the same vassalization many had struggled under the current and past kings.

Surprisingly, or perhaps not if I took into Warrhl-Ye's precedence, when I promised the Yaran-Ye and Serrhl-Ye that they would remain "semi-autonomous" city-state under my rule and that they would only have to send a small percentage(5%) of their troops when I call for war or in need of help for other "national" issues as well as paying me tax rate that was significantly lower(8% compared to 20%) than what they were forced to pay under their current king, they didn't hesitate much to become my vassals.

The Nest of Yonder refused to surrender to me. Instead, they gathered the remaining army in their control. Another fairy scout who had assigned itself to me -it was never easy to tell the genders of the tiny fairies who look asexual anyway- had told me that the army of the Yonder looked to be no more than three thousand.

From what Pyrcol had told me and cross referencing it to the army number, I can guess that either the Yonder had found a bit more troops before the upcoming battle or they had some troops hidden away from every other Nest's sight. Still, the difference was only five hundred or so more troops. More than enough for three dozen of his warriors to demolish.

"How are the training for the new recruits coming?" I asked Iskan and Candy.

We were sitting in a room of the inn that all three of us were staying. I paid for the rooms, of course; it would not do for the ruler to disrupt local business by imposing himself. I learned that from Shirou, and it seems to generally work.

As usual, Iskan took charge of the recruits wishing to be warriors, guardians, and tanks while Candy took on the recruits who wished to be archers, assassins, saboteurs, and guerrilla fighters.

It helped that all of those were classes the recruits were able to choose.

The few recruits who wished to be healers, I kept them around. Why? Because I was training with [Double Strike] and [Crushing Blow] in particular against boulders. Every time I used those abilities, I lost bits of my HP and I had the healers, most of whom were Priests, to heal me. It kind of sucked that the priest recruits were capable of only healing wounds and not fatigues.

By the end of the day though, I was the still jumping around, punching things, and kicking asses while the priest recruits were gasping for breath with their mana reserve hitting the bottom.

And so at the end of the day, I was asking for progress.

"Possessing [Class] definitely changes the rate at which our warriors improve," Iskan began. "Compared to the 30 day period required to see muscle growth, the training done here has shown that having [Class] doubles the rate of growth."

Candy nodded. "It does. The accuracy of the archers are twice if not thrice as good as those who trained without [Class] in our early days."

"How about [Skills]?"

They grinned.

"Most of the warriors and rangers have one skill with exceptional few possessing two or three," Candy replied. "All is going well."

"Good."

After seeing a fight between a non-class warrior and a class warrior just few days ago, it was easy to see the difference that [Class] brought along. Having [Class] allowed one to reach further and faster.

And I knew that none of the lizardmen in the Yonder's army had class.

[Class], I learned, was something that only True Races possessed. Even then, it was only granted to individuals by events such as hard training or life struggles. One could not simply just become a warrior because they felt like it. One could not simply become a priest because they had a cousin thrice-removed who was dying.

No. It had to be very personal or over a very long period of time. For example, a human knight who trained for a decade might get the Knight, Warrior, or Guardian class, and even then, it would not be their choice. Normal soldiers couldn't even get a [Soldier] class, because of some reason.

Even if one gains a class, obtaining [Skill] is whole different matter.

Following the example of the knight, it would take a thousand hours to gain a skill.

To gain three skills, that would mean three thousand hours. If the knight had 4 hours of practice every day, as anymore would damage his own body, a knight possessing three skills would be at least 20 years old, assuming he started his real knight training at age 8 and it took 2 years for the three skills.

Most of these I learned from Sokar and few books I mail-ordered from Pset.

With my ability to give out class, my "nation," had a distinct advantage over ... basically everyone.

On top of that, the adaptability of Monster Races like myself ensured that we needed much ... much less than what a True Race would need to learn skills. The fact that in the span of 30 days most of my warriors had at least one skill showed that.

These lizardmen were to surely lack [Classes].

This made my warriors stronger than them by four-fold.

My usual training made my warriors strong, but along with their [Class], my warriors were elite of the elite.

The fact that the lizardmen didn't know what was going to hit them only made it better for me.

Coupled with the fact that very few wizards, magicians, and artificers we had -which was really just me in Warrhl-Ye and the rest in the Ironwood City- making the Bomb Arrows, whatever army we were going to meet was going to face a slaughter of unprecedented scale.

Add to the fact that Shirou was recreating the "machine gun," which I had a personal experience with, even fighting an army a hundred times our size was not outside of our reach... Okay, maybe a bit out of reach, but not by too much. Fighting ten thousand may prove too much if the said army gained enough momentum.

But three thousand?

Pffffffffffttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt...

Easy peasy.

"Anything else to add?" I asked the two of my most trusted.

They shook their head.

I nodded. "Alright then. Give everyone a day off tomorrow, because we will be fighting the day after. Make sure they're all rested up; I don't want to see anyone complaining about muscle cramps in the middle of the battlefield."

* * *

**Day 265:**

And the time for the battle came.

Unlike the last battle, my army and I were not within the walls of Warrhl-Ye. No, that would make pursuing a fleeing army very hard without mounts, which we certainly lacked.

We took to the fields of Syuuril, as the lizardmen called the plains of Lower Carpathi. I liked the name. The said plain in question -and the battlefield- was only five kilometers away from Serrhl-Ye itself, which means that on the slightest chance that my army I were defeated, then we had a place to fall back to instead of an open field where they can hunt us down.

...

I stood before an army of 423, my warriors along with the levies I called on from the three lizardmen cities.

On the other side of this battlefield-to-be was the army of Yonder.

Compared to my four hundred, their three thousand made an impressive show.

But they were just that.

Impressive SHOW.

Ah, they're charging at me. So they want to crush me fast and hard?

I scoffed.

"Candy, are the archers all ready?" I asked as I projected my own bow and quiver of Bomb Arrows.

"Yes, Chief."

"Good," I said as I looked towards them.

"800 meters!" one of the fairies in the air shouted.

"Ready your bow, and when you hear 300, fire at will!" I shouted as I drew the Bomb Arrow. I heard the rustle and clunks of arrows being nooked and drawn.

"600!"

"I suppose this is going to be easier than driving out the orc raiders," I muttered.

Iskan, who stood right next to me with his Ironwood Steel Tower Shield, scoffed. "With all of these classes and numerous Bomb Arrows you've been making, Chief? These bastards won't stand a chance. They don't even have mages among them."

"True that."

"...300!"

"FIRE!" I roared.

The first volley of Bomb Arrows flew in a graceful -and almost beautiful- arc ... and crashed down with the power of lightning itself.

The entire front line blew up like a line of dynamites.

Black smokes spewed forth from the explosion sites like a geyser while the red hot explosion itself ruptured like a exploding tidal wave. In that inferno, lizardmen burned like nothing else.

Even from where I was, I could smell the barbaque.

I grimaced even as my archers fired another volley on their own.

I watched them fly and strike upon the line behind.

It must be chaos in there.

My warriors in the front kept their tower shields up and planted.

And my archers fired another volley just as remnant of the front line charged out of the smoke.

I spared them no mercy nor pity glance as the third volley slammed into their position.

In a world filled with magic, there were many rulers who dismissed them. Or was I in a region where there were not that many magicians in the first place?

I held my hand up to stop them.

We all watched the billowing smoke...

"They are charging again!"

"At 100 meters, we fire again!" I ordered.

The archers quickly drew their bow back.

"200!"

We waited.

"100!"

"FIRE!"

This time, it was the main army. And they were packed tight. When the Bomb Arrows landed, there was no room for maneuver nor room to dodge. More than two dozen lives perished per Bomb Arrow, and my archers didn't let up. They fired again and again. Some of the archers, in fact, possessed [Rapid Fire] skill. As hundreds and hundreds of bomb arrow poured down upon the main Yonder army, they began to see the futility and retreat.

My archers didn't stop firing until the Yonder army had been annihilated down to the last man.

And like that, my second battle into this war passed relatively quietly and without much sweat on my part.

I frowned. "...That was too easy for an army of three thousand."

"I know, right?" Candy pouted.

* * *

The King of Lower Carpathi stared down at the map before him.

He was sweating heavily from the pores underneath his scales.

It was impossible.

"Your majesty...?" the messenger asked from his kneeling position by the entrance of the war room.

"Just ... leave," he told the messenger.

"Yes, sir."

He closed his eyes and waited until the sound of the messenger leaving the war room and the click of the war room's double door resonated.

Then he flew into a rage.

He flipped the table holding the map of his kingdom. "Why, why, why?!" he roared as he kicked the table away. "God damn it, why?!"

He huffed and puffed before grabbing one of the wooden chairs and throwing it at the wall with abandon. "Why, why, why?!"

His strength ran out after he threw the tenth chair and watch it shatter.

He slowly walked over to his throne of silver and sat down.

"Why...?"

When he had first received the letter from that damnable troll king, he had dismissed it. Raids? They happen all the time, and it wasn't like he aided the raiders of the imperials, not when they were raiding his own cities too. The only reason he had not suffered a lot was because Yaran-Ye held so well against the raiders. Besides, he was too busy balancing the Nests in his council and those outside of it to even think about supporting the thrice-damned imperials in the first place!

So he told the troll king exactly what he thought about the accusation, and he believed it to be the end of that.

Probably just a upstart king trying to improve his prestige by attacking his own reputation. To make himself look like the victim. Such tactics worked before among human "houses."

But then the troll king declared war on him.

On the first week, he lost Warrhl-Ye, the economical breadbasket of his kingdom. With it, he lost most of his income needed to hire more men. Then, he lost contact with Yaran-Ye, Serrhl-Ye, and surrounding smaller cities. With their loss, he lost his capabilities to make strategical maneuvers.

On the second week, the three cities held by the Nest of Yonder falls. Without Yonder, he lost the bulk of his vassal levies.

He only had his levies and money to hire mercenaries. But an army that just took out three thousand were sure to do the same with two thousand.

It was over. If he didn't surrender right here, right now, he was sure to lose much more than few major cities.

It's time for diplomacy and surrender treaty.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 252:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 124  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+600) (+22.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+12.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1200(900(SGMII))  
DEX: 151  
AGI: 261  
END: 396  
INT: 198  
WIS: 204  
CHA: 120  
Unused Points: 11 **

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +1035  
Infamy: +150**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 5)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 51) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 34)  
Reinforcement (LvL 10)  
****Sonar (LvL 32)  
Time Decel (LvL 1)  
Mountain Killer (LvL 1)**x

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 4)**x**  
Archery (LvL 23)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 16)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 30)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 16)**x**  
Charging (LvL 18)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 17) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 12)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 14)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 11)**  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 4)  
Intimidation (LvL 15)  
Language (LvL 3): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 1)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 10)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 2)  
Physical Durability (LvL 39)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 2)  
Running (LvL 37)  
Teaching (LvL 9)  
Throwing (LvL 25)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 20)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**302 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
177 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
16 Faze (Candy)**(xx)  
**1 Phased (Sokar) **(xxx)**  
21 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
52 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
38 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
19 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
34 Imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
7 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
39 Fairies**(x)  
**21 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**51 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (True Race)  
**51 Humans ()** (True Race)  
**22 Taurens (****Xumalhoof****)** (True Race)  
**27 Beastkins ()** (True Race)  
**45 Grey Dwarves(Golt, Golthaum)** (True Race)  
**25 Arakkoa (Kakreem)** (True Race)

**Warrior Count:** **180**

**Total: 948**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 1500**  
regionalPower**: 2.0

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.

**Vassal (Tribes, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 16)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 23)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye (cityPower: 22)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 2.0)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Aru Tribe +500 ****(Vassal)****  
Dhan'Thal Tribe +900 ****(Vassal)****  
Nomore Tribe +700 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Warrhl-Ye City -100 ****(Vassal)****  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +600 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 30)  
**Yoal-Cohkam Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 9)

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set **(it's just black and white standard armor that looks on the surface like Stromwind guard's)**  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*I do apologize for the small mistakes. It's not like I have beta tester nor willing to wait weeks on end. I'm sure most of you would agree that the two-three day update is better?

*For those of you asking for the elvish mercenary captain, she was handed over to Sholva, remember?


	55. Chapter 55

**This chapter is focused 1/3 story, 1/3 Race Summary, and 1/3 review replies and general Q&amp;A. Thank you and enjoy.**

**Also, if you like fight scenes, watch Asura's Wrath AMV - Courtesy Call**

* * *

_**First Expansion Arc**_

* * *

**Day 279:  
**

"So he wants to meet me to discuss the surrender treaty?" I asked the lizardmen messenger.

"Y-Yes. Me King want meet for-"

As the messenger droned on, I only felt pity for the Petty Kingdom of Lower Carpathi. Was this the best they could send or did some contempt about myself got them to send someone bad at speaking foreign language?

"Speak your own language," I told the messenger before looking at Pyrcol, who stood to my left. "I would appreciate it if you translate."

"Of course, milord."

I frowned. I realized something awful.

Soon, all of my people were going to start refer to me as "Lord" or "milord" or anything along those lines. And then even Christopher, who I'm still keeping good contact of, would have to call me in formal settings. It was going to be irritating, considering that I found the overly respectful term too much for my taste.

I was not a proud, pampered, and arrogant bastard wanting to be kiss-assed.

"The messenger states that the King of Lower Carpathi seeks to meet with you to discuss a surrender treaty. The King of Lower Carpathi has suggested he and milord meet at the Zuri River, which is located halfway between his capital and the city of Warrhl-Ye."

"I find that acceptable. Are we to bring our armies?" Not that I wouldn't have more hidden away in case of treachery.

"The messenger states that two scribes from each side, 5 personal bodyguards, and another set of third party should be present."

I nodded. "...Tell the messenger that I will talk to Duke Zepolya; he will serve as a good third party."

The messenger perked up before he respectively bowed and hissed.

"By your leave," Pyrcol translated.

I waved him away.

Once the messenger was gone, I turned to Pyrcol as well as the other generals.

We were inside a tent suited for field planning. There was a table in the middle placed on four flat stones to prevent it from sinking into the soil. On top of the table was the map of Lower Carpathi. On the map's east were figures representing me and my warriors. On the east were the figures representing the lizardmen king and his men. There were thrice the number of figures on the table.

Despite the number difference, my force was superior. The Battle of Syuuril Plains proved that.

The east half was colored in green and black of my Ironwood Mountain Flag color scheme.

The west half was colored in blue and yellow of Lower Carpathi Barony color scheme.

The war was won, though. More than five thousand of the Lower Carpathian soldiers lay dead in the field, which was one and a half times as greater than the death toll at the Battle of Pset.

From the size of the Barony of Lower Carpathi, it was safe to assume that if the lizardmen king threw another battle with two thousand troops, there would be nothing left for him to call up afterwards.

I sighed.

When did my life get so ... complicated? Strategy, tactics, numbers, vassals, alliances, friends, enemies...

I leaned back into my chair.

"Something on your mind, Chief?" Candy asked me.

I shrugged. "Just wondering how my life became so complicated."

"And so fast," she added.

I blinked. "What?"

"And fast," she repeated. "It's been less than a year and our clan has already been involved in five major battles, leaving behind more than ten thousand enemy lives."

I froze for a second.

Ten thousand lives.

Okay, okay, 500(Shkifield vanguard)+1900(Shkifield Rear Army)+1700(Orc raiders)+5000(Lower Carpathian lizardmen)+3400(Battle of Pset)+... numerous Bullywug... =

H.O.L.Y.S.H.I.T

Ten thousand? Closer to twenty thousand! What the fuck?! I killed that many people?!

Ping!

**[High Mental Stress! Stressed trait activated: -50% INT and WIS for next 24 hours!]**

...

%&amp;$# ?!

I sighed. Well, today's crap then. I'll just go use my muscle.

... I'm already sounding like a brute.

"Whatever, dismissed," I muttered as I stood up and left the tent.

* * *

Iskan frowned as he watched the back of leader leave the tent before turning to Candy.

"Our clan really killed that many without even possessing a thousand member?"

Candy blinked at him. "You didn't realize?" she asked.

Iskan nodded, but his eyes hardened.

She looked up for a bit before looking back down. "We really are a bloodythirsty bunch, aren't we?"

The Mountain Troll scoffed. "We're pretty big monsters, I guess."

Candy raised a fist. "All for the clan."

Iskan stared at it for a moment before smiling and bumping the fist. "All for the clan."

And thus, two monsters who would become the Demon Generals of Ironwood were born out of loyalty to their king, to their clan, and to their camaraderie.

Iskan the Unyielding and Honorable Tower and Candy the Devouring Queen.

* * *

On the other hand, Pyrcol looked shocked.

It seems everyone forgot he existed, but that was beside the point!

More than ten thousand? Ten thousand? A clan no bigger than a thousand has already killed over ten thousand people?

Who the hell were these people?!

* * *

I grumbled.

I completely forgot.

There were no boulders out here to practice as I usually do. So I looked around my army camp while grumbling.

That's when I saw it.

The training ground.

There were many soldiers there, levies and warriors alike.

I looked over at the center of the training ground where two swordsmen were going at it.

I recognized one.

Arlas. The troll who challenged Yan to the leadership of the troll and imp faction before Shkifield incident.

It seems that he had mellowed out well. No more "strength this" or "strength that." No, he was focused. He was improving.

And I liked what I saw.

"Seems like you're all doing well."

Immediately, the entire crowd split into two to look at me, opening up a path to the center.

Even the two swordsmen stopped.

I raised a hand. "Yo."

Everyone bowed, and I mentally groaned at what came next.

"Milord/Chief!"

And I initially thought being called chief was bad. Geezus.

"Go on," I mentioned to the swordsmen. "I'm only here to watch."

They nodded hastily before jumping into action.

Despite my ... decreased INT and WIS, I was able to easily see strengths and weaknesses.

[Observe has increased by 1 LvL!]

Oh, cool. So maybe it had not thing to do with INT and WIS. Regardless of how I can tell, it was easy for me to see that Arlas had a favorite swing pattern: LRRLRRRRL with a bit of horizontal and vertical slashes as well as stabs between the second segment of right handed strikes. On top of that, he randomly -and I think on whim- made feints for low and high kicks.

Lengthy enough and varied enough to make the opponent think that it was an unpredictable style.

I liked it.

To be fair, I never had a style of my own...

Ping!

**[New Quest:**  
**My own Martial Arts ... or Steal one**  
**Requirement:**  
***One of the following:**  
**-Develop a new martial art**  
**-Adapt an existing martial art**  
**-Steal one**  
**Reward:**  
**+25 LvL on martial art]**

"...Well, it certainly has been a while since I saw one of you. Welcome back, quests."

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 279:**

**Naruto  
[Imp Ruto] [Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Baron Ruto]  
LvL 126  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+600) (+22.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+12.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1200(900(SGMII))  
DEX: 151  
AGI: 261  
END: 396  
INT: 198  
WIS: 204  
CHA: 120  
Unused Points: 11 **

**Spirit: 36  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +1035  
Infamy: +150**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 5)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 2)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 52) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 34)  
Reinforcement (LvL 10)  
****Sonar (LvL 32)  
Time Decel (LvL 1)  
Mountain Killer (LvL 1)**x

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 4)**x**  
Archery (LvL 23)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 16)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 30)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 16)**x**  
Charging (LvL 18)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 17) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 12)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 14)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 11)**  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 4)  
Intimidation (LvL 15)  
Language (LvL 3): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 1)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 10)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 2)  
Physical Durability (LvL 39)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 2)  
Running (LvL 37)  
Teaching (LvL 9)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 1)  
Throwing (LvL 25)  
Trapping (LvL 27)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 20)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**302 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
177 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
16 Faze (Candy)**(xx)  
**1 Phased (Sokar) **(xxx)**  
21 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
52 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
38 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
19 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
34 Imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
7 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
39 Fairies**(x)  
**21 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**51 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (True Race)  
**51 Humans ()** (True Race)  
**22 Taurens (****Xumalhoof****)** (True Race)  
**27 Beastkins ()** (True Race)  
**45 Grey Dwarves(Golt, Golthaum)** (True Race)  
**25 Arakkoa (Kakreem)** (True Race)

**Warrior Count:** **180**

**Total: 948**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 1500**  
regionalPower**: 2.0

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.

**Vassal (Tribes, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 16)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 23)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 2.0)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Aru Tribe +500 ****(Vassal)****  
Dhan'Thal Tribe +900 ****(Vassal)****  
Nomore Tribe +700 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Warrhl-Ye City -100 ****(Vassal)****  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +600 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 30)  
**Yoal-Cohkam Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 9)  
**Petty Kingdom of Lower Carpathi** **-1000(At War)** (nationalPower: 1)

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set **(it's just black and white standard armor that looks on the surface like Stromwind guard's)**  
Contract Emblem for the Barony of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Race Summaries  
Part 4:  
(Chapter 35 for Part 1)**

**Lizardkin:**

Lizardman, or lizardkin, lizardmen, lizardwomen, or repkin in plural, is an enigma. First off, a lizardman has no interest in establishing anything outside of a clan connection. If someone is not joining the clan, they do not accept outsiders. Literally, they don't have friends outside of their clan. It has been determined that this is because lizardmen in general possess a much larger "familial" instinct than any known race, including any of the True Races. Such closed off action leaves lizardmen to often build walled cities where 99.999% of the inhabitants are member of one or two clan. There exists few lizardmen interested in unifying the lizardmen, but they are far and few in between. The most successful lizardmen to make a lizardmen kingdom is the High Nest Lord Zhashisu Yissles of the Lower Carpathi.  
Lizardkin come in many varieties that makes even us biologists, xenobiologists, and magicians wonder if lizardkin are truly one race. Lizardkin can grow as tall as 4 meters and yet they can be shorter than a meter too at adulthood. Their scale color is seen in the entire rainbow spectrum barring pink and grey. Males have larger muscles than females. All lizardmen have tail, make no mistake. However, some of the tails are so vestigial to the point that they are nothing but bumps above their butt cheeks, while other tails stretch longer than their entire body length. Due to this, there are no racial averages for anything but there are regional averages.  
Their facial structure resembles that of a small eyed lizard, but that's where things start to get weird. This is because more than 26% of all lizardkin women have human faces. Many have theorized that humans several thousand years ago could have copulated with the lizardmen. Supporters of this theory point to the paganistic, harem-centric nature, and high tolerance of other races evident in early history of Kingdom of Caladria.  
At the height of its power, when Caladria basically ruled the entire western seaboard of the Ogrisal Continent (which now emcompasses Suh Dynasty, Norrure Kingdom, Kingdom of Neutonia, Uxukhan Empire, Byunjuk Kingdom, nomads clans east of Neutonia, Black Drakken Flight Hegemony, and the Frankish Merchant Republic), records in the Grand Library of Caladria show that 1 out of 14 marriages, concubinage, and bethorals were interracial.  
Also, of the 26% of lizardkin women who do possess human faces, 1% of them possess siren and succubi-like allure to them, making them highly prized slave commodities. Those with exceptional allure strength and beauty have been sold before at 10,000 gold coins, which is equal to some kingdom's annual income.  
It must be noted that while they are both reptilian, drakken and lizardkin share nothing in common in their genetics. In fact, copulation between the two is highly discouraged due to the fact that stillborn rate between the two race is the highest of any at 70%.  
There are different cultures within the lizardmen clans as well. Lizardmen clans south of the Frankish Merchant Republic are known to have matriarchal societies with emphasis on agriculture and learning while lizardkin clans north of Kingdom of Galburia have emphasis in warrior traits and financial power. The northern lizardkin's desire for money often makes them more tolerant of foreigners and outsiders, regardless of race.  
There are estimated to be 30 million lizardkin.  
Average lifespan of a lizardkin is around 67 years.  
They are also the 23rd race to appear in the world of Andalusia.  
Racial Trait: **[Evolution]**,** [Familial Empathy]**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*I do apologize for the small mistakes. It's not like I have beta tester nor willing to wait weeks on end for one to fix my mistakes. I'm sure most of you would agree that the two-three day update is better?

*For those of you asking for the elvish mercenary captain, she was handed over to Sholva, remember?

*Explanation for lack of improvement: Let's say you are a king. You crush an ant. A literal ant, ant. Not a ant-like peasant. You don't gain prestige from that nor experience unless the ant bites your crouch or something. In the case of Ruto, the prestige of the lizardmen were already low enough that the little addition that he did gain the Battle of Warrhl-Ye was enough to completely negate other incoming prestiges. His LvL has gone up, I just forgot to add the number to LvL. The stat did go up.

*Ruto didn't get exp or prestige for Yaran-Ye and Serrhl-Ye for same reason above and they submitted peacefully without big issue. Again, prestige difference counts in. Ant crushing or subjugation gets you little.

*The reason why he isn't improving as fast is because he is slowly hitting the proverbial upper ceiling of LvLing once more. While the one or two battles he had so far has been giving him EXP, he is once more too high of a lvl compared to the enemy, and unlike last few battle, in the last battle he killed at max 100 people.

100 x 100 EXP = 10,000

But when you need more than a million to five to seven hundred thousand EXP to LvL as Ruto now does? 10,000 does shit. What about the EXP for leading? Not his first time. Again, upper ceiling and ant crushing. The battle was too easy and too efficient. He learned literally nothing useful from the battle aside from the fact that he could probably rinse and repeat the tactic again. In terms of Gamer terms though, he did gain some ... like 200,000 EXP, which is why he did get 2 LvLs. I just didn't do a aftermath report for something so insignificant at this point.

Hope this explains everything?

*ALSO! Baronies of Upper and Lower Carpathi are extremely big. They are not the size of usual baronies in the world of Andalusia. For example, Barony of Lower Carpathi can be split into three average baronies, which makes the Barony of Lower Carpathi really a County.

*Regarding the change of tactics. Guerrilla warfare works best when you are in your home territory. In the case of Shkifield war, that was such. In the raider repelling assault and the war against Lower Carpathi, neither are home territory.

*For Charisma comparison, I will be using typemoon(fate series) grading system with few tweaks:  
1~50 F-  
51~75 F  
76~100 D  
101~300 C  
301~1000 B-  
1001~5000 B  
5001~20,000 B+  
20,001~500,000 A-

Now, if you have F or D, you're just a regular person. The rest, look at the Servants at typemoon wikia.

This scale is for CHARISMA ONLY. Do not apply it to other stats. You do so and review, I will gag you, mute you, point you out, and humiliate you.


	56. Chapter 56

_**First Expansion Arc**_

* * *

**Day 283:**

My party walked with our goal less than a kilometer away.

I was a bit nervous. After all, this was going to be the first ever surrender from a lord to a lord that I was going to be participating in. At the same time, I was ecstatic too. While this "war" had not killed many of warriors, it was still good to know that there was no longer a reason for my warriors -and my people- to die because some asshole wanted to harass someone else for the shits and giggles.

Then we were there.

It was a place like any other around us. There was a bit of a forest around us, but nothing else but grass and rolling hills. I turned to the additional twenty warriors I had brought with me. "Hide in the forest. Make sure no one sees you."

"Yes, sir," they obeyed and did so.

And we waited.

* * *

It wouldn't be for another hour before the lizardman king arrived.

I stood before the "king" of Lower Carpathi. '[Observe],' I intoned.

**[Petty King Shashan of Lower Carpathi**  
**LvL 66**

**STR: 190**  
**END: 113**  
**AGI: 89**  
**DEX: 58**  
**INT: 213**  
**WIS: 101**  
**CHA: 59**

**Traits:**  
**Quick, Kind, Strong, Shrewd, Organizer, Administrator, Erudite]**

The guy was strong, considering the rabble I had to fight. No wonder he's their king.

As promised, I only had 5 bodyguards and few others _with _me. The rest were hiding in the forest around us.

The king himself was a Black Lizardman. He stood at around 2 meters. He wore richly with a shining fur coat on his shoulders and back. He had a exquisitely inscribed iron chestplate with dragons depicted on them. He also had a lot of scars.

He regarded me with narrowed eyes.

"Why?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Why what?"

He growled.

"Why did you declare war over something that didn't even happen?"

I narrowed my eyes. "The raid on my land didn't happen? People who died fending off those raiders didn't happen? The mere fact that you didn't even try to investigate on your behalf made you implicated even if you really didn't support the raiders," I spat. "Besides, I have evidence that you were involved. Several of the orc commanders were very ... open with information when you threaten to neuter them."

"I did no such thing!" he roared.

"You can talk all you want, but I have the evidence! Even if those evidences are false, the fact that you are willing to neglect anyone from your court seeking to end my people is enough to demolish you!" I roared right back. "Besides, this war is over. There is no way you can recover if I press on. You'll become a easy piecemeal for anyone around us."

I saw him grimace. Looks like I hit him right where it hurts. "...What do you want?"

"Vassalization."

Shashan flinched.

"You will become the a hereditary mayor of the cities under your direct rule, but that will be where what you keep ends. The rest of the cities will come under my rule."

"... You intend to unite Carpathi?"

"Whatever that keeps my people safe."

"Add another stipulation. You will not harm me or my Nest as long as long as we do not seek to harm you or your nation. If you agree to that, we will surrender."

"I accept."

Then there was a glow from the lizardman king. He pulled out the Contract Emblem of Lower Carpathi from somewhere in his robes and tossed it to me. I caught it.

Then my own forced itself out of my Inventory and merged.

There was a flash and I held something different.

"[Observe]," I muttered.

**[Contract Emblem for County of Carpathi]**

"Huh," I muttered as I stashed it into my [Inventory]. I turned to my people. "We're leaving."

Ping!

**[Ironwood War to Subjugate Lower Carpathi**  
**Victory!**

**Total Casualties:**  
***-19 Ironwood Clan**  
***-4,591 Lower Carpathi**

**Reward:**  
***-10% Diplomatic Relations for next 12 months**  
***+10% Aggressive Expansion for next 12 months**  
***+10% Deterrence for next 12 months**  
***Permanent Ownership of Lower Carpathi**  
***Upgrade of title from Baron to Count**  
***+100 Prestige**  
***+150 Infamy**

**Reward (Red War God):**  
***+50 STR**  
***+50 END**  
***+50 CHA**  
***+100 Prestige **  
***+5% Permanent Upgrade to Army Health Boost]**

I smirked.

_Yes, victory was sweet._

I looked over my shoulders at "Hereditary Mayor" Shashan. He was looking down.

_And defeat so bitter._

* * *

**Day 284:**

My warriors and I returned to the Ironwood City. We were greeted with cheers and applause for myself, my rule, and my victory.

Children ran up to me. Human children were still just that, children. True borns were also children as well, but they were a bit bigger than the human children. They ran up to me, asking about my battle. They had sparkles in their eyes. They had admiration in their eyes.

I simply smiled and said, "We did our duty to ourselves and you. We did what was right, nothing more, nothing less."

Some of the ladies swooned, but I gave them no thought.

I carried the children in my arms by the threes. With my strength, they didn't even weigh anything.

But I had an announcement to make, didn't I?

I gently set the children down. I gathered the people in front of the citadel and placed a podium. I stood on top of it.

I clapped my hands once loudly.

Everyone stopped murmuring and turned to look at me.

I pulled out the Contract Emblem for the County of Carpathi and thrusted it into the air with my fingers around it.

"We are victorious~!" I proclaimed.

The people burst into cheers again.

"The warriors who had fought with me send me a piece of paper with what you desire. If it is a reasonable request, I will carry it out. If not, then consider your chance to get something forfeit. Don't waste my time."

There were many approving shouts of joy.

"And so to celebrate our victory, we feast tomorrow! Shirou, make the best food ever will!"

If anything, the roar of approval became louder.

... My people loved Shirou's food more than a war victory. Such was the power of good food.

With that, I pulled the podium into my Inventory and went back into the citadel for my own good rest.

When I made it through the front gate of my citadel, I caught someone staring at me from the shadows.

"Really, Ruto? You expect me to feed a thousand people?" the figure spoke.

I blinked. "A thousand?"

He scoffed. "During the time you were campaigning in the south, we were busy with accepting even more immigrants. We had a surge of lizardkin and human settlers. So much so that we had to expand our city towards north," Shirou commented as he appeared out of the shadows. He had dark bags under his eyes. "The paperwork involved kept me all night nad you promise all of them a feast tomorrow... I want to strangle you right now."

I laughed nervously as I scratched the back of my head.

"So did you do as I asked?"

I nodded as we switched topic.

When I was in the city last time, Shirou had pulled me to the side and specifically asked me to leave behind educated healers and guards for Warrhl-Ye as the city was going to need it after being raided so hard.

"Also, we're actually seeing people seeking to be teachers, which is good," Shirou said. "And I'm going to need helping hand for that feast of yours."

I grinned. "I'm sure there will be helpers available."

He paused for a bit before he waved me off and left through the way I came in.

I watched him leave until he passed the citadel gates. Then I turned around and went my merry way over to my room.

Where my lovely bed and lovely sleep awaited me.

"Chief."

I looked to my right to see who was interrupting my journey to my bed.

"Senna," I said as a way of simple greeting. I also noticed something different about her. She used to '[Observe].'

**[Senna "the Queen"**  
**LvL 100**

**Race: Elemental Fairy (Earth)**

**HP: 309**  
**Mana: 9,000**

**STR: 51**  
**DEX: 69**  
**AGI: 70**  
**END: 117**  
**INT: 639**  
**WIS: 999**  
**CHA: 70**

**Spirit: 291**  
**Magic: 117**  
**Power: 6**

**Fame(Prestige): 399**  
**Infamy: +91**

**Traits taken + Earned:**  
**Loyal(Ruto), Just, Arbitrary, Powerful, Genius, Attractive, Shrewd]**

"You evolved!" 'And what the hell did you do to increase your infamy so much over a month?!' Not that I really wanted to know.

She smiled. "Yup. Just wanted to tell you, Chief."

I grinned tiredly. "Well, I suppose you did. Well then, I'm tired and all, and I suppose you'll have to go home too..."

She bowed slightly. "Of course, Chief. Have good night," she said with a smile.

There was something off about that smile.

I went through the empty corridors.

And then I stood before my door.

I was so close. I pushed the door open and placed the small lock on the door.

I was soon going to-.

There was a pause before I sighed. "Alright, who is it?" I asked this second person.

I turned around and saw another figure approach me from the unlit corner of the room. My room had a window and small candles to light the place, but it was dusk and I had just entered the room. So all I saw a figure hiding its face from me with a cloak that covered its entire body.

"Why so hostile, Chief?"

I blinked.

"Candy?"

She pulled the hood off.

"You evolved!" I smiled. Candy now had a face. Unlike her father Sokar, her father was smooth and flowed down easily. She had a small refined nose with large red eyes. Her round face was marked by her Shadows that all Phased were supposed to have. She had them set in a clawed like pattern that went down to her neck, darkening her chin, outer cheek, and neck. Just like her father, though, her skin was light grey.

Her lips were slightly apart and ... rosy.

Now, I was curious about her stat. '[Observe].'

**[Candy "The Devourer"**  
**LVL 100**

**Race: Phased/Succubi (Half)**

**STR: 245 **  
**END: 177**  
**AGI: 563**  
**DEX: 439**  
**INT: 190**  
**WIS: 335**  
**CHA: 133**

**Spirit: 42**  
**Power: 33**  
**Magic: 33**

**Fame(Prestige): 531**  
**Infamy: +3**

**Traits taken + Earned:**  
**Loyal(Ruto), Vicious, Attractive, Quick, Ambitious, Lustful, Strong, Diligent, Aggressive Fighter, Zealous]**

'...You know, I saw a lot of [Attractive] before, what does it do?'

Ping!

**[Attractive (trait)**  
**I'm irresistible, period. My come massage my feet (Yes, boss!)**  
***Effect: +50% Seduction Chance**  
***Effect: +10 Attraction Point**  
***Effect: [Lustful] trait is doubled.**  
***Effect: -1 opinion with same gender**  
***Effect: +5% Fertility]**

Ping!

**[Candy is attempting to Seduce you! **  
**Chance: **  
**75%(Opinion) + 20%(Gender) - 35%(Trait Compatibility) + 50%(Attractive) + 10%(Lustful)**  
**Total: 120%**

**Dice Rolled!**  
**Results: ...Hooked!]**

...

Should I be worried right now?

I looked at her.

And my heart started to pound. Everything about her had changed dramatically. All the details about her began to stand out more, but in only attractive ways.

I think I should be... worried about whether or not I'm ready for this.

She slowly made her way to me. When she stood right in front of me, her arms snaked around my neck, and as I looked at her in shock, she pulled herself forward and caught my lips with her.

_Ba-bump ba-bump!_

I knew my face had to be red. It had to be.

...Right, I have red skin.

"Chief ... no, Ruto," she spoke quietly as she pulled away. "Keep me company tonight? Please?"

She pushed me back and I fell on my bed, and as I watched, she pulled the cloak off her.

I gawked.

She was naked.

She let me gaze at her hourglass figure for a moment before straddling herself on me.

"Make me happy, please?"

Then she looked surprised and her face reddened as well.

"You're getting really hard ...Ruto," she said before she caught my lips again and we fell on my bed.

I don't know how long we kissed. There was nothing in my mind keeping time when all I could feel or think was about how moist she was. How ... flexible she was with her tongue with mine. How she blushed and moaned into my mouth when my hands grabbed her ass and caressed her back.

She grinned as she pulled herself away. She sat on my abdomen and touched my chest gently and softly. "I wanted to do this for quite a while, you know. But you were so focused, so ... determined. But now, here you are," she smiled. "Ruto... make me yours forever, please?"

Did you have to ask?

I growled and flipped her down. She yelped before moaning as I caught her lips in mine. Surprisingly, my tusks didn't get in the way. Then I pulled away and she let out a disappointed moan. "Did you have to ask?"

She smiled. "I don't know..." she mumbled as she fumbled a little with my shirt. "Should I?"

I grinned.

* * *

**I'm Evil, aren't I?**

* * *

**Omake:**

Shirou watched Senna leave the citadel. When she saw him, she smiled.

"How did it go?"

"They're going at it like rabbits," she said.

Shirou scoffed. "About time," he replied. "Everyone knew that she liked him."

"Like is a soft word," she replied as she hooked her arm his.

He smiled. "Right. 'Obsessed' more like."

"There you go."

"So where should we go this time, Sakura?"

"Oh, I don't know. Your house?"

* * *

**_Early Rise of Ironwood Clan_**

_Ironwood Clan's rise into the world was unexpected. Their rise to prominence was even less expected. The bias at the time was that if a lord was not a drakken, human, orc, or elf, don't expect him to become big. Ironwood Clan was founded by a troll, of all races, in the Era of Scorn. At the time, trolls were closer to monsters not a race. The people at the time went and called the trolls a "monster race."_

_But the founder of Ironwood Clan was no normal troll. He was none other than Troll King, the Champion of the Red War God, King Ruto the Warrior._

_In the first three months of his life, he subjugated the Bullywug Clans living right next to his clan to the point that historians today all accept that he had killed at least three thousand of them._

_In the six months afterwards, he would wage war against an established noble House of Shkifield, and in the Battle of Pset (9M33 CE), he would slay the head of the house, Erlan Shkifield, with his ally, Duke Christopher Zepolya._

_Then in the two months after that, he waged war against the Petty Kingdom of Lower Carpathi, subjugating them within a mere month after declaration of war._

_All of this within the first year of his life, and he would go on conquering for another five thousand._

_However, this was not all. While the clan's chieftain was focused on outward expansion, his advisors, Shirou the Wise and Senna the Deceitful would shape up the early fledgling clan from within. Small Chief Shirou introduced education, technology, and wisdom that outpaced most of the world at the time, while Small Chief Senna kept all of the clan in line while ruthlessly demolishing any harmful attempt at her liege and clan._

_A technological and magical superiority, soft yet iron hand, and the unstoppable force that this clan becomes comes from this single year of its birth._

_The Birth of an Empire that would lead the people to the stars..._

* * *

**This is NOT the end of the story.  
It will continue. If you complain about me quitting, I will publicly humiliate you by having someone with your name getting killed hilariously in my story.  
Be Aware.  
**

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Arc End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Day 279:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Count Ruto]  
LvL 126  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: N/A**

**HP: 168.5(+675) (+22.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+12.0 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1350(1012.5(SGMII))  
DEX: 151  
AGI: 261  
END: 446  
INT: 198  
WIS: 204  
CHA: 170  
Unused Points: 11 **

**Spirit: 37  
Magic: 25  
Power: 34**

**Control: 102  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +1235  
Infamy: +300**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 6)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 3)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 55) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 35)  
Reinforcement (LvL 11)  
****Sonar (LvL 34)  
Time Decel (LvL 2)  
Mountain Killer (LvL 1)**x

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 5)**x**  
Archery (LvL 27)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 17)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 31)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 20)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 19)**x**  
Charging (LvL 18)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 17) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 12)  
Crushing Blow (LvL 14)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 11)**  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 9)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 6)  
Intimidation (LvL 16)  
Language (LvL 3): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 1)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 1)  
Listening (LvL 18)  
Mapping (LvL 10)  
Negotiation (LvL 9) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 1)  
Persuasion(LvL 2)  
Physical Durability (LvL 39)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 2)  
Running (LvL 37)  
Teaching (LvL 10)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 2)  
Throwing (LvL 25)  
Trapping (LvL 28)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 23)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**# **(reference)** (important figures)** (x = evolutionary stage)

**307 Trolls **(WoW)** (Ruto, Iskan)**(xx)**  
179 Onis (Shirou)**(xx)**  
16 Faze (Candy)**(xx)  
**1 Phased (Sokar) **(xxx)**  
21 Vashta Nerada**(x)**  
52 Greater Fairy (Senna)**(xx)**  
38 Kobold **(D&amp;D)** (Dresa)**(xx)**  
19 Mountain Dryad **(xx) **  
59 Imps **(WoW + D&amp;D)(x)**  
7 Hell Hounds** (xx)**  
39 Fairies**(x)  
**22 Incubu/Succubi** **(Riddle)** (xx)  
**52 Draenei** **(Na'Deri'in)** (True Race)  
**162 Humans ()** (True Race)  
**24 Taurens (****Xumalhoof****)** (True Race)  
**27 Beastkins ()** (True Race)  
**45 Grey Dwarves(Golt, Golthaum)** (True Race)  
**25 Arakkoa (Kakreem)** (True Race)  
**81 Lizardmen** **()** ()

**Warrior Count:** 260

**Total: 1,175**

**Levy from Vassals:  
1,198**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 1500**  
regionalPower**: 2.0

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.

**Vassal (Tribes, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 16)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 23)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**? Orcs -300  
Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 2.0)  
**Carpathi Swamp Valley Bullywug Petty Kingdom -1000  
Retvoa Trade Company +80  
Aru Tribe +500 ****(Vassal)****  
Dhan'Thal Tribe +900 ****(Vassal)****  
Nomore Tribe +700 (Vassal)  
Ruyure Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Werwen Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Bouldon Tribe +600 (Vassal)  
Warrhl-Ye City -100 ****(Vassal)****  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +600 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 13)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 30)  
**Yoal-Cohkam Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 9)  
**Petty Kingdom of Lower Carpathi** **-1000(At War)** (nationalPower: 1)

* * *

**Personal Standings:**

**Andrews Maulta +65  
Christopher Zepolya +120  
Sholva z'Retvoa +100**

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set ****  
Contract Emblem for the County of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

* "Akallas takes the spiked metal golf club from yuki and uses it to ward off flamers."

*As for the ridiculous numbers, I actually feel that those numbers are appropriate. You don't "increase" charisma by increment of hunderds or thousand. You're either at this level or that level, nothing in between, and the gap is very, very big.

*Indeed, I do feel that non-story progression related matters are cluttering up each chapter. However, aside form last chapter, it has remained a steady less than 800 words for all the others. So average of 2985 words - 800 = 2.2k per chapter. Average of 2.5 chapters per week =5.5k words per week. 5.5x3 weeks = 16.5k words per month. I think that's good enough?

*I'm evil, aren't I?


	57. Chapter 57

_**The Annoyance Arc**_

* * *

**Year 1, Day 59:**

"Candy!" I said happily when she opened the doors to our room.

She smiled. "Hey honey," she replied.

"...Might want to wipe that blood from your cheeks," I added as I pulled out a projected handkerchief (something I saw in Pset) to wipe away the stain from her face.

She frowned as I roughly wiped them away, but stood still. We both knew that blood was a nasty work of nature; it stained very well on anything it touched. Once I was done though, she pushed be back.

"Too rough," she hissed. "I was going to go to the bath anyway."

"You know that people don't appreciate having blood in their bath."

She pouted.

Public bath was something that Shirou and Senna both eagerly advocated for. I was less inclined to do so, considering my own lack of experience with them (despite having seen many in my first life), I gave them the go.

Oh, how I would never regret that decision.

Using the ambient mana in the air to power the runes for magic, we pulled the water from the swamps below with small magic portals, filter them with more magic, and then heat it up using a large sunstone as the water heater by embedding them around where the water was pumped out of the filtration system. The used water was then pumped back out towards the swamp, where flowing between the rocks and dirt would cleanse them again only to be muddied by the swamp.

I was also able to build a small bath of my own, but it was considerably smaller. Instead of the swamp, I pulled my water from a river running down the side of the valley that led into the swamp valleys from much farther up north. I got my water from near the bottom of that river, so it was pretty much filtered by nature itself. But I still put in a filtration system anyway at Shirou's behest.

"Of course, dear," she replied as she stripped herself and went to the side room, where the bathroom was connected to.

I smiled before heading back to the tinkering that I had been focused on.

Unlike before, where I had hammered away to make something big, I was now focusing on making smaller stuff to LvL my Crafting.

One of the things I decided to focus on was jewelry. I wanted to give something to Candy and I wanted it to be the best.

And who did it better than I?

Well, okay. I was not the best jeweler nor the best 'artificer' but I had made the skill just a week ago, and I was making steady LvLs on it. Now, if it didn't cost so much...

Ever since my small chief council and I had implemented the monetary economy, one of the first things that was restricted was excessive spending.

For me, that meant that unless I mined up my own ores, which I did several times when I got a tidbit desperate, I couldn't spend too much on _personal_experiments.

Thankfully, I was putting this under "Artificing" experiments, which let me experiment away at designing and crafting rings.

Apparently, my Artificer LvL of 5 made me the best ring maker.

And I was now getting requests for wedding rings.

Since I had nothing to do, I was now working a side "job" aside from being a chief of a clan.

I was hoping to make a ring for Candy once I hit LvL 10, which would be another 5 LvLs.

Ping!

**[Artificer has LvL up to 6!]**

Scratch that, 4 more LvLs.

* * *

**Year 1, Day 66:**

Today, I hit LvL 10 Artificer and made Candy a shiny golden ring with our names inscribed on it with small rubies embedded in them.

We had a very passionate night.

* * *

**Year 1, Day 68:**

"Christopher is coming to visit?" I repeated.

Shirou nodded. "He stated in his letter that while you had visited his city many times, he had not even seen a glimpse of it."

I blinked. "Huh." I looked about. "We don't have any room for duke like him to stay in. I think we need to renovate."

Shirou blinked. "Would he care?" he asked.

I thought about it.

Would Christopher the Duke care? Probably.

Would Christopher the Friend care? Probably not.

Would Christopher the Local Tavern Beer Analyzer care? He'd be too passed out to care.

Would Christopher the Mud Rolling with Soldiers care?

No.

He sleeps in the same barracks with his own levies and retinue because he had been playing cards with them all night long.

No, he definitely would not care.

"No, but I think we should still make one or two guest rooms in the citadel or at least plan on building a more 'high-end' hotel," I said.

"Want to explain?" Shirou asked.

"Well, Christopher might not care, but would other visitors?"

"You think we're going to get visitors. Are you kidding? As far as most of the world is concerned, we're monsters," Dresa, who had been silent so far, said.

I shrugged. "Then build it for when they don't. Besides, I think we could charge some of the more nastier merchants who enter it for more money for causing dissent in our own marketplace."

Everyone's eyes narrowed.

One of the bad things about opening ourselves up to trade was the merchants. Not all of them were bad, but many who came us (more than half in fact), wanted to rip us off by tricking us. We paid them in kind by stripping of their weapons, their clothes, and their money before kicking them out.

There will be no assholes in my city.

But there were some who walked the fine line.

Those guys... well, everyone hated them. We couldn't kick them out because they didn't give us a reason, but thye provided goods and services that we required at a high price.

It was actually because of this that some of my own people staked themselves out as merchants with the small council's funding. They were pretty successful.

Of course, this was only within my territory. Outside of it, laws were different. It was much more aggressive in driving out foreign competition while the same could not be said for my territories.

It was actually because of the merchants that Christopher and I had our first verbal fight as lords of respective nations. Of course, what we had going on was nothing compared to what our advisers were shouting at each other next door.

In the end, we all agreed that merchants were assholes in general even if they paid a lot of tax in the end and also agreed to prevent each other's merchants to do free trade. This was actually the birth of the free trade agreement.

As I said before, it turned out to do good for everyone.

Almost everyone.

"Yeah, we can overcharge the assholes," Golthaum of the Dhan'Thal Tribe agreed.

"So renovation is green light?"

"Ye."

"Yes."

"Yeah, get on with it."

"Of course, Chief."

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Good," I said before making a small note on a piece of parchment as a reminder.

It was going to be fun having him over for once at my place. I'll take him around the taverns for our brand of beers, we'll go kodo riding (those bastards are hard to ride but fun to watch), and I'll...

* * *

**Year 1, Day 70:**

"What?"

I must be scaring the shit out of the messenger before me.

"The d-duke ran i-into bandits on his side of the nation, and t-they killed him and his escorts."

"... When is the funeral?"

"T-They still have his body. We don't know if His Grace is a-alive or not..."

...

Oh yeah, I could tell why this messenger so terrified of me.

**[Temper Broken!]**

"Iskan," I said calmly, but everyone around me shivered at how I spoke.

"Sir?"

"Assemble the troops. It seems I have to help my friend again."

* * *

They were gathered at the side of a valley. They must have been hiding there to strike out at the caravans and merchants using the route. Instead of a merchant, though, they found a duke and killed him.

I stared upon their camp in my red haze vision. Even through my haze, though, I could see where Christopher was being held: right at the center of their camp, where they were tossing shit and trash.

It has been eight hours since the messenger arrived with their message and since my temper broke. However, the haze would not go away.

Not that I minded.

Shirou stood next to me.

"I want this to be personal as possible," I ordered. "I want all of the bastards to be neutered before I shove a pole up their ass and out of their mouth. And I want the rest of them to watch one by one what's going to happen to them."

"Ruto..." Shirou whispered. Of course he would disapprove, but he didn't move or speak to dissuade me.

"And I want their impaled bodies planted on the nearest heavy traffic road for everyone to know My Wrath."

"Yes, Chief!" the warriors behind me, numbering in two hundreds, shouted in affirmation.

"Don't let a single one of them escape. Go."

It was a slow silent march from the bottom of the valley.

Then we began to jog.

The jog turned into a run.

And the run turned into a sprint.

Our silent run had made the bandits blind to the danger that we were, especially when they were getting drunk off the goods they had stolen.

We were upon them.

My warriors attacked and knocked out the bandits. It proved to be too easy.

I grabbed a oni bandit by his head. As drunk as he was, he didn't feel my first punch, but when I projected a sword and sliced his dick off, his screaming told me that he felt that. I dropped him off at the center of the camp.

I watched as my warriors killed some but dragged most to the center of the camp.

"What else should we do?" Iskan asked.

"Get me some logs," I said as I walked over to where Christopher was being held on a stake like some sort of effigies. I brought him and assigned a dozen of my warriors to keep him safe and comfortable.

Soon, I was neutering all ninety bandits before each other, and once I was done with that, I followed through with my words.

I broke a tree logs that my warriors brought me into long, thin poles that still had splinters everywhere.

Then I shoved a piece, each longer than myself, up their ass. They screamed and begged before I pierced right through their mouth and planted them facing down.

It took me three hours to complete from breaking the log to impaling the bandits.

But once I was done, I had my warriors carry each of the dead, neutered, and poled bandits by the poles. We made our way down to the valley where the caravan routes were and planted them by the side of the road.

Then I planted a single sign.

_Only death awaits those who harm my allies and subjects_  
_-King Ruto of Ironwood Clan_

Once that was done, I carried Christopher on my back and made our way to Pset.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Arc End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 1, Day 58:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Count Ruto]  
LvL 140  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 168.5(+922) (+50.0 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1844(1383(SGMII))  
DEX: 320  
AGI: 299  
END: 686  
INT: 233  
WIS: 256  
CHA: 200  
Unused Points: 0**

**Spirit: 39  
Magic: 25  
Power: 40**

**Control: 107  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +1366  
Infamy: +561**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 4)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 10)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 4)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 8)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 88) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 64)  
Reinforcement (LvL 47)  
****Sonar (LvL 40)  
Time Decel (LvL 6)  
Mountain Killer (LvL 3)**x

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 29)**x**  
Archery (LvL 33)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 19)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 31)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 36)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 60)**x**  
Charging (LvL 22)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 46) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 33) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 5))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 35)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 33)**  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 21)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 12)  
Intimidation (LvL 50)  
Language (LvL 5): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 3)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 5)  
Listening (LvL 33)  
Mapping (LvL 19)  
Negotiation (LvL 14) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 2)  
Persuasion(LvL 10)  
Physical Durability (LvL 58)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 16)  
Running (LvL 76)  
Lovemaking (LvL 13)  
Teaching (LvL 21)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 7)  
Throwing (LvL 44)  
Trapping (LvL 51)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 77)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **,**Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , Lizardmen, Earth Fairy, Orc

**Warrior Count:** 703

**Total: **3,576

**Levy from Vassals:  
1,355**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 1987**  
regionalPower**: 3.7

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.

**Vassal (Tribes, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 16)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 23)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 3.7)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +600 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 14)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 15)  
**Yoal-Cohkam Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 8)

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set ****  
Contract Emblem for the County of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**


	58. Chapter 58

_**The Annoyance Arc**_

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 78:  
**

A week later, I returned to Pset to see Christopher.

Much to the surprise of everyone, including myself, he managed to live through the ordeal, even if he had been hung on a stake with enough cuts and blood loss to make him paler than a corpse.

So when I found him greeting me by the front gate when I entered the city while he was still in his bandage, the first thing I did was rip him a new one.

"What the hell are you thinking?!" I roared.

The fact that my retainers and warriors who I had brought along with me backed away while clutching their ears despite the fact that they were more than a dozen meters away goes to show how powerful my roar was.

Duke Zepolya did not have the luxury of backing away. Not when I was holding his ear and with him too injured. So he took the blunt of my roar. His eyes spun even as he stuttered to bring up a excuse. I let go of his ear.

It didn't save him from what came next.

"You were but a fucking step away from death, and you barely lived! You should be in the hospital for half a fucking year, but what the hell do you do?! Leave the hospital when you are supposed to be _healing_!" Then I puffed a little. "Now, what do you have to say for yourself?"

His eyes still unfocused and spinning, I rolled my eyes. "Oh yeah, I'm definitely going to get on your case now."

"Your Grace, where are you?!"

I looked over my shoulder just in time to see several human nurses in white running up, only to freeze at the sight of myself. I scoffed. "You're going back in hospital, you hear me?"

He nodded hastily.

I scoffed again before hauling him over onto my back and walking over to the nurses. "Where's the place he's staying at?"

"H-His Grace's chapter, s-sir," one of the younger nurses replied. The rest of the younger nurses were in similar state, nerved my myself.

The older nurse, the one who looked to be in charge, was just glaring at Christopher, who seemed to be looking away.

"Your Grace."

He flinched.

I let out a guffaw.

"I brought some healers over to help you guys," I told the nurses. "Four, in fact." I turned over to my entourage. "Healers!"

A group of people dressed in green and white stepped up.

"If it won't bother your current administration, I'm willing to let these four stay in your city for several years or so," I told both the head nurse and Christopher.

Christopher looked very surprised and all of the nurses, except the old nurse who I was now going too Old Nan, gawked.

"H-Healers? Multiple h-healers? How did you get so many to spare?" he stuttered.

I scoffed.

"I have thirty healers in my Ironwood City. I could spare a few for a few years in peacetime," I replied.

One of the nurses fainted.

"Why? I brought the ones who's willing to move here along with me because I saw that you guys didn't have healers," I asked. "Why don't you guys have healers?"

"Chief Ruto," Old Nan finally spoke up again. "I think you are severely underestimating this gift you've brought the city and the Duchy as a whole, sir."

I blinked. "What?"

"Sir, the Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi had only 2 healers, one here in the capital, and one under direct control of Count Edmer in Transyloria County. Four healers is equivalent to four thousand men. People have gone to war for them."

I blinked again.

"Oh. Uh. Wow. I didn't know."

"And yet you claim to possess another 26?"

"Wait, you guys don't have doctors?"

The head nurse, who has to be for the steel balls -pardon, breasts- she has in talking to be when everyone else is scared shitless. "Doctors and healers are different. Doctors _aid _healers to better their chance of healing while healers use magic to heal. I hope these four are healers, not doctors," she replied.

"These four are healers, alright," I said. "Oi, Zahno, give Chris here a long duration heal, would you?"

"Ugh," the draenei leading the healers grumbled. "You always ask for the hardest." With that said, he closed his eyes as everyone watched.

The civilians who were in the streets, in their homes, from the other side of the main street.

Everyone watched in abated breath.

"Solkan. Maan. Ruusco. [Blessing of Naaru: Regeneration Synthesis]," he chanted and said the skill name. "And ... Alani. Yucar. Shubarius. [Blessing of Naaru: Heal]."

A green glow highlighted Christopher dimly for a few seconds before it went away.

There was a pause before Christopher jumped off from my back. "I... feel fine."

Everyone gawked.

"I don't get it," I said. "Are healers really that rare?"

"Of course sir!" the head nurse asserted. But instead of the frown she had shown since the beginning, there was a glimpse of joy in the shape of her wrinkled lips. "It's been too long since our city has had more than one healers. It's simply too expensive to hire more than one healer!"

"I still don't get it. How expensive is too expensive?"

"About 100 gold coins per month."

I tripped and faceplanted.

"100 gold coins a month?!" I shouted as I shot back up immediately.

Now, one must understand the value of a single gold coin.

In my city where trade is bit more free and there is less tax, a gold coin has slightly -just slightly- less value than a gold coin would in Pset or any other city. Even with such a fact, my people are starting to treat gold coins as lifesavings!

One could trade a month's supply of food for a single gold coin.

One could buy Uncommon grade, fine silk robes with a single gold coin.

One could buy a fifth of a kodo with a single gold coin!

"...Just pay my guys 5 gold coin per month. That should suffice."

Christopher was crying. "I knew making a friend out of you was going to help me. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it..." he said as he kept wiping his eyes with his forearms. "And I finally get to fire that crabby bastard overcharging us!"

"Oi," I muttered as I sweatdropped. "Snap out of it."

People were cheering in the streets and the nurses looked like someone told them that there was no asshole among the patients. Old Nan even looked younger.

I sweatdropped as I took all this in. The people were overreacting to just four healers. It was ridiculous but ...

As a comrade from my old world would say...

"Troublesome."

* * *

**Year 1 +Day 79:**

"So what happened?" I asked Christopher the day after.

We were in the meeting that I first met him and had lunch in. The room hadn't changed. Blue and white room with high ceiling and windows to show the outside world. There were few furniture in here as usual, so we sat facing each other on a small round table with few snacks and a glass of wine each.

With my healers, he made near complete recovery. He had a little bit of a scar leftover on his cheeks, but aside from those, he looked fine.

Christopher frowned. "I'm not really sure. One moment I was heading towards your city, the next moment, there were arrows raining down on me," he replied. "They recognized me and took me down first."

I nodded. "Take down the leader, take down the army."

He scoffed. "Army being twenty people?"

"An army is an army," I chuckled a little. "Well, those bastards are staked upside down on the side of the road. So if you want to go and kick them, they'll be there for quite a while... Or not. I mean, flesh doesn't stick around for too long after death."

This time, it was Christopher's turn to laugh.

Ping!

[New title: The Impaler (+100 Infamy!)]

I winced.

"Well, then, I suppose we should celebrate," he said as he raised the wine glass he held.

"Celebrate what?" I asked him as I held by own glass up.

"Our continued friendship."

I smiled.

"I suppose so."

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 80: **

I left Pset a day after our reaffirmation of friendship and alliance.

Also for rescuing him, he sent me off with a wagon filled with fine luxury silk textiles. I tried to refuse as I didn't need them, but he insisted. He told me that if I was not going to use it personally, I could always use it to influence powerful people like the mayors of my cities and faction leaders within my city.

I had no idea regarding such politics. I usually leave those to Senna. Wonder what she will do with these?

...

Probably take one for herself, I suppose. She was both my adviser and a faction leader for the fairykin. Satisfying herself would be one of the things that would go with what I intended for her to use Christopher's gift with.

I shrugged. It didn't matter.

Then suddenly, Maru stopped. I looked down at it. "What's wrong boy?"

He refused to move. So I looked further down and ...

"Oh, you're eating," I muttered. I sighed and got off of him. I turned to my people. "I guess we're camping here tonight," I told them. They nodded and slowly set things up. I sighed again. "Candy's not going to be happy with me." There were some chuckles about that, and I glared at them for it.

"[Sonar]," I muttered.

The wave of my magic burst out of me again, and soar out.

"Nothing, nothing, nothing, a cave, nothing, nothing, another cave." I frowned. There was nothing around here, which was safe, but boring.

I pulled out my tent from my inventory, and set it up right at the center of our camp ground.

The ground that we were on was just a bit off the road, but the road was still within moment's reach.

Nothing, nothing, nothing, people-

I stopped before I was about to enter my tent.

People? All the way out here?

I turned my head towards west.

"[Sonar]," I said again, and magic roared out again, unseen and unfelt by almost all.

Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, trees, nothing, nothing, people-

People of many races inside cages.

I frowned. "Arlas."

The warrior in question hurried to my side. "Yes, Chief?"

"I'm leaving you in charge."

"Yes, sir."

With that, I reinforced my legs and jumped away.

I rose into the air like an arrow. My current attire, something in the lines of Psetian nobility, didn't agree with me too much. I stashed it away midiar and "equipped" my normal attire: a pair of black basilisk leather pants, a cotton shirt, and a black basilisk leather jacket. My old jacket actually got ripped a few weeks ago in training. So I commissioned one from a newly rising tailor from my own city.

I had to say, my crafting need a lot of work.

The tailor in question, a human, had done a marvelous job with it.

The jacket even had pockets to put my hands in!

But enough said about my jacket. I was now closely approaching where those bodies are ...

Ah, there.

I landed with a thundering crash and cratered the mountainside around me.

People, or rather slavers, looked at me in surprise and shock.

I stood up and looked around.

There were a lot of caves where I had landed. There was also a lot of trees, which does explain why this particular group had been here for some time without my own patrols finding them. In fact, the foliage was so thick that I couldn't see anything directly through it.

There were many people here, but more than 90% of the people here were inside cages. Yes, wrought iron cages with bars and a lock mechanism on one side of it. Open to all sides. All hostages wore rags and looked very malnourished.

I frowned and looked at the people I assumed to be slavers. After all, they had weapons, fine clothes, and whips in their hands. They fit the stereotypical slaver image.

There were twelve of them in total.

And ... they didn't look like anything I've seen before.

They wore more loose clothes than the people of Pset or my own people. These valleys had some cold morning and dusk winds due to the numerous valleys.

Which mean that they were outsiders.

But from where?

Before I could think more, one of the slavers shouted something in their local tongue, not the Common Human, and launched themselves at me.

This human jumped at me with his longsword raised high above his head. He didn't even have complete armor set. He had a left shoulderguard and a chestplate that protected half of his abdomen and all of his chest, but nothing else.

I scoffed.

Just as he swung his sword down, I grabbed his longsword with my thumb and index finger.

They gawked at me.

I grinned.

One of the good thing about having so much strength was that a strike force that a fighter like this slaver could muster was nothing to me.

I grabbed the still shocked human slaver by the top of his head and squeezed.

_CRACK SPLAT_

I frowned. I mean to make him scream, not kill him on the spot. I shrugged it off, though, and squeezed the longsword.

It creaked and bent. I nodded once at it before flinging it at half my max strength at the nearest still-living slaver, who happened to be a lizardkin. It sliced through his chest in one clean cut, bisecting the bastard.

The rest of the slavers screamed and tried to get away.

"[Projection: Chain]," I said casually -as if I was not killing people here. Soon, there was brief flash of light, and I now had within my hands very long steel chain.

It was on a whim that I made a chain instead of bow or sword. I wanted to test something out.

With a grin, I lashed out with the steel chain like a whip. Its tail end caught the ankle of the furthest slaver and snapped it on the spot. The slaver, an orc, screamed as I snapped the chain right back. His broken ankle twisted and ripped, but didn't quite rip off completely, and thus he was now within my arm's reach.

I punched through his head.

Gore and blood showered everything in the air.

'High speed death punch does that to things,' I sarcastically noted mentally.

Then a fire erupted on my back.

**-30 Magic Damage!**

I frowned and turned around.

There, at the edge of the clearing was an old man dressed in robes and a pointed hat. He also carried a staff.

"A magician?" I said.

The magician looked surprised.

"A Common Human speaking troll?"

I chuckled. "So you're how they must be keeping so many slaves in line," I commented with a grin.

The magician looked nervous.

Then it happened.

He tried to cast a spell. The head end of the staff lit in a orange glow.

But I was faster.

Faster than my own grin dropped to a snarl, I lashed out with my still chain, forgetting the fact that there was still a body hanging at the tip end.

The fireball fired and struck the body. The body exploded into a red explosion and then grey and black smoke where the body fell between me and the magician.

I didn't let the chain attack end there. With a snap of my right arm, the entire chain snapped right back.

The old magician was not prepared for that.

The steel chain wrapped around his neck and -

It snapped?

I frowned as I pulled the chain back.

His staff was now glowing white at the tip and there was a thin mist around him.

"A barrier?" I muttered as I tried to think of how a BARRIER could cut off a steel chain. Bounce off, perhaps. But snapping it? It was definitely not a barrier against magic that I've seldom seen, but one against physical attacks.

...

Ah.

"You cast barrier around yourself," I said. "And because my steel chain had presence on both side, it got cut in half as barrier formed in the space between them."

The old magician grimaced. He was rubbing his neck where a red angry mark had formed from my attack.

"Clever, clever, clever," I said with another grin before lashing out again.

This time, I charged.

Before he could cast anything, I body slammed right into him.

There was a crunch, and the old magician flew away. He struck a tree before bouncing off. He didn't move after that.

"Urgh, already?" I muttered. "That was too easy."

I turned to the rest of the slavers and frowned. They were now reaching the trees.

I dismissed the chain and projected my bow and arrow.

"[Rapid Fire]," I singsang the skill name.

Ten arrows fired. Ten targets struck: nine headshots and one arrow to the knee.

"Pfft," I laughed. "Too easy, too easy."

I dismissed all weapons and walked over the slaves.

They were all quivering in their cages.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to eat you," I told them calmingly and smiled to appear non-hostile, but that only served to scare them even more.

Finally, one of the child slaves broke out crying.

I facepalmed. "I just saved you all."

* * *

In the end, I had to get the entirety of my entourage to the location to free the slaves and to calm them down. Thankfully, I had a healer with me, which made things better. The sole slaver that survived tried to run, but we caught him and I sent him back to Ironwood City with four of my entourage, Arlas included.

We were now back at our camp site, and I watched as the freed slaves were given soup and a small pouch of berries. They eagerly dug into their food without hesitation. There were one or two who hesitated, but it didn't take too long to follow their fellows in their meals.

If Maru hadn't stopped to eat, I wouldn't have rescued these people.

I looked to my kodo, who I was leaning on, and grinned.

"Good job."

It grunted and kept on chewing grass.

* * *

Omake:

Senna grinned when she saw the slaver.

"...will be staying at the camp site to take care of the hostages. He asked for supplies to be sent his way, mainly food and water," Arlas finished reporting.

"Of course," Shirou said. "You can rest if you want, but tomorrow, you will go back with ten more warriors with the necessary supplies. I trust you will be able to do this without help?"

Arlas saluted. "Of course, sir!"

Senna smiled. She remembered when this Arlas pup was bold enough to challenge Yang and Shirou. He got better.

"Now as for the slaver here..."

There was a growl among the small council chiefs who had gathered this night.

Due to the city being a minority-majority city and many races who have been used as slaves like the arakkoa, there was a general hatred towards slavers.

"I'll interrogate him."

Everyone turned to her.

Shirou looked very ill as cold sweat bled from him like light rainfall.

"You sure?" Golt asked. The dwarf looked at her questioningly. "I mean, fairies don't do interrogation. I've never heard of it."

She merely smiled to him. "Perhaps you will know that such is not the case when you hear the scream tonight. After all, the interrogation room is underground near the tunnels."

Everyone felt chills.

"O-Of course. It was wrong of me to assume otherwise," Golt muttered as he looked away.

As proud as the dwarf was, he knew when to back off. For some reason, Senna had taken his comment as an insult.

Of course, she didn't, but the way she chuckled with a smile on her lips with that glint in her eyes made him think otherwise.

Senna didn't bother to correct him.

"Coco dear, bring that slaver with you," she said as she walked away.

Coco, a oni warrior, shuddered. "Y-Yes, ma'am."

That night, all of the dwarves and the kobolds gained a healthy fear of the one known as the Queen of Ironwood City for the screams did not stop until dawn light had broken the next day.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Arc End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 1, Day 80:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Count Ruto]  
LvL 140  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 168.5(+922) (+50.0 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1844(1383(SGMII))  
DEX: 320  
AGI: 299  
END: 686  
INT: 233  
WIS: 256  
CHA: 200  
Unused Points: 0**

**Spirit: 39  
Magic: 25  
Power: 40**

**Control: 107  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +1366  
Infamy: +661**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 4)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 10)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 4)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 8)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 88) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 64)  
Reinforcement (LvL 47)  
****Sonar (LvL 40)  
Time Decel (LvL 6)  
Mountain Killer (LvL 3)**x

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 29)**x**  
Archery (LvL 33)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 19)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 31)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 36)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 60)**x**  
Charging (LvL 22)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 46) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 33) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 5))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 35)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 33)**  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 21)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 12)  
Intimidation (LvL 50)  
Language (LvL 5): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 3)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 5)  
Listening (LvL 33)  
Mapping (LvL 19)  
Negotiation (LvL 14) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 2)  
Persuasion(LvL 10)  
Physical Durability (LvL 58)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 16)  
Running (LvL 76)  
Lovemaking (LvL 13)  
Teaching (LvL 21)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 7)  
Throwing (LvL 44)  
Trapping (LvL 51)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 77)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **, **Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , Lizardmen, Earth Fairy, Orc

**Warrior Count:** 704

**Total: **3,578

**Levy from Vassals:  
1,355**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 1987**  
regionalPower**: 3.7

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.

**Vassal (Tribes, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 16)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 23)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)  
Shashan Sorrhl-Ye City (regionalPower: 1)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Tranyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 3.7)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +600 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 14)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 15)  
**Yoal-Cohkam Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 8)

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set ****  
Contract Emblem for the County of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Class Summary  
**

There are many classes for anyone to take. However, the choice of what they can take for their class is severely limited to what they have done for their life. For example, a boy who had begun his knight training at age 8 can be given the choice to choose a class at age 18. However, he cannot choose to become a sorcerer because that was not part of his education nor training.

Those wanting to become a specific class or a class within a specific category must undergo intense training for certain amount of time. It has been accepted that this length of time has to be around 10 years, but few have speculated that it is not years but rather tens of thousands of hours. The Academy of Historia in the Kingdom of Caladria has done extensive research upon this, citing researches that continuously produced class knights at approximately 7.8 years. Access to the Grand Library is required to know more.

There are also classes that require conditions. The best known example is Priest and Healer. Both class need both or either a racial trait or a blessing of a deity. This makes them the hardest class to find in all of Andalusia. The Academy of Historia has estimated that less than 0.1% of all class fall in the Healer category while non-magic, melee combat category that includes Warrior and Knight class makes up more than 49% of all classes.

Because of this, pay between each class differs. A healer could be paid upwards to a thousand gold when a warrior may only be paid a hundredth of that (not that the warrior would complain too much when the said healer mends his body over and over again).

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Hello guys! Here to answer question.

1\. Yes, there has been a time skip.

2\. Yes, I skipped the part where he gets his class.

3\. No, the year is still 365 days.

4\. The duke is not dead, as you can see. I never explicitly said he died. See what I did there?

5\. You can have multiple class.

6\. Wrath tends to make people do things they normally would not do. His Gamer's Mind makes sure he doesn't fell too sick about it too.

7\. jjol: thank you for the title :P


	59. Chapter 59

**World Map Updated!**

* * *

_**The Annoyance Arc**_

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 81:  
**

"Galburia?"

In the end, Shkifield would not be the end of Galburia's presence in my nation.

"They are slavers from Galburia, or spies turned slavers?" I asked.

"Definitely just a slaver," Senna replied as she handed me a pile of parchments with many a drops of blood on them. "The one you caught was Vakrim Wallac, the third son of the Duke of Nanamos, the ruler of the duchy that borders us directly."

"And they were trafficking slaves right through my territory?"

"Yes," Senna said as I took the parchments and looked through them. "From what I learned from our prisoner, it seems that our territory is in the middle of a long slave trade route. Last year alone, he proclaimed that he personally led more than a thousand slaves into Galubria."

I spat on the side. "Guess we all know what our patrols will be doing soon," I said.

"Indeed," she replied. "I'll have the fairy scouts up in the air everyday as well. I'll also contact our neighbor fairies-"

I looked to her in surprise. "We have neighboring fairies that still didn't join us?"

My city had a population closely reaching four thousand people.

Of the four thousand, eight hundred of them were fairykin. I had speculated that 800 fairies in a region small as Carpathi would consist majority of the population, but Senna here just said otherwise.

She smiled. "There is a colony of one hundred or so fairies on the far other side of the valley. That colony is closer to the entrance that leads this valley into former Galburia."

Former. I suppose that made sense.

Ever since the defeat at Pset, Galburia had been at civil war. Last I heard, there was more than 15 dukes fighting all independently of each other against the king of Galburia for their independence. That number had fallen to 8 dukes and 1 king, but the country itself was still at civil war. On top of that, they lost some of their former nation's territory to third party nations like Tyronia and Somberas Republic, who were also at war with each other.

Duke of Nanamos was one such duke fighting for independence, and from I learned, the closest to actually achieving independence.

"...You don't suppose the Duke of Nanamos is taking these people for slave army or even ... entertainment for this soldiers, do you?" I asked her as I frowned.

I pulled out the map of Upper Carpathi Valleys from my inventory and set it down upon the table.

On the east end of the valley was my city and the swamp valleys.

On the west end of the valley was the valley entrance and exit to Galburian lands.

In the middle of the valley was Lake Sal, where Aru Tribe had settled down.

"The other side, you said?" I asked her, and she nodded.

So that meant the west end. 'I suppose it makes sense. In fact, I think that's where their slave trade route is mainly based on because of its proximity to Galburia,' I thought. '...And where are the slaves from anyway?'

"Did you ask him where the slaves are from?"

She nodded again. "The slave route goes as far up to Hlynovukos Grand Duchy, where slavery is legal, and Tecari Duchy, where the unique human subrace Avarin lives."

"How unique are they?"

"Supposedly, they are humans who have very small avian features limited to feathers and enhanced eyesight due to how intimately the populace has been with their local arakkoan population."

"So an entire duchy of half-breeds?"

"I guess you could call them that. But the Tecari Duchy had outlawed slavery shortly after the Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi did. This particular group of slavers had done their very best to ... acquire Avarian after the outlaw of slavery and the subsequent increase in demand for them," she reported.

I nodded along. It made sense. Despite the fact that I was not a economics-savvy man(or troll), I understood simple concepts like supply and demand. In the case of Avarians, who we now had 30 or so of after freeing them from the slavers, enslaving populace like Galburians would only see them as rare commodities after such decree from Tecari. "...I just realized," I said as I frowned. "It's kind of understood in my clan that no one can hold slaves, but there will be others who might take advantage of the fact that we don't have any _written_ and _known _laws of our own."

"Are you suggesting that we need to establish one?"

"Yes, I do think so. Bring in racial leaders, faction leaders, and the small chiefs."

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 103:**

It actually took a long ass time to establish a complete written law for my clan.

Mainly because this was due to the factional leaders squabbling with each other.

We all agreed on seven rules.

1\. You will not betray the clan.

2\. You will not kill without just reason and without permission from the highest, conglomerate authority of the clan, the Small Chief Council, or the highest authority of the clan surpassing the Council, the Clan Leader.

3\. A just and fair Clan Leader stands above the Small Chief Council.

4\. You will not steal. This includes not paying tax.

5\. You will not enslave any sentient being.

6\. You will not unreasonable, wanton destruction inside city limits.

7\. The next Clan Leader will be chosen by the current Clan Leader.

And these seven rules took us entire three days to make. I actually got angry at one point and left the council to break some things.

The rest of the laws involved every other laws like taxes and cultural laws.

In fact, we had a six day debate about _mining _of all things. It was maddening!

Apparently, the widespread mining had caused some disturbances for the fairykin and the devilkin, who were very connected with nature. The dwarves and the kobolds had no such senses, except those who chose the druid class a while back, and they refused to give up their current mining progress and methods.

In the end, we were able to come to a solution: for every 100 cubic meters were dug out, the dwarves and kobolds would also increase size of their underground farms and allow the plants to move into tunnels that were no longer in frequent use. Senna was very adamant about this, stating that allowing the plants to move in would offset the elemental deficiencies that may form in those caves.

I understood nothing, so I left it to her expertise.

Then we had another five day debate about transportation laws.

Shirou was the spearhead in this. He wanted to absolutely ban farm animals from stepping inside the city and borough limits. He stated that farm animals are often the cause of diseases and plagues.

However, humans, particularly those from the rural counties, opposed this vehemontly because this would mean that they would have to trade their animals outside of the city limit when the city was growing bigger by the day. This would put them further and further away from being able to interact with the regular people and merchants.

The dwarves also opposed it because their animals lived in their cities underground. The onis, particularly the leaders of the Perunish Tribe of Onis who had settled north of the Ironwood City, had objected to not allowing farm animals inside the city.

The Dhan'Thal tribe had been busy, I learned. In the past year since they joined us, they had set up an underground "carrack," or fortress. The fortress was roughly a tenth of the current size of Ironwood City, but as more dwarves joined the clan and the city, it would grow.

The debate went on and on and on until I could take it no more and immediately declared a zone for farm animal trade right outside the city limit at the northwestern edge of the plateau with a promise that the city would not expand towards there.

"I am tired..." I muttered.

Candy smiled. "Was I too harsh on you?" she asked childishly.

I glared at her over my shoulder. "You dragged the sewer debate for an entire day for shits and giggles."

The sewer debate had been the worst of all.

Shirou, Iskan, Senna, Golt, Golthaum, and I knew the importance of sewers, but the rest didn't. It took time to convince, and it was time for the council to vote.

Candy here decided to make it an entertainment and persuaded two other small chiefs, Dresa and Riddle, to postpone the vote. I didn't know how she did it, but she did while keeping her name of the picture.

I knew, of course, because she told me afterwards, but I was pissed.

I was so worried about how that law would go!

"Still upset about the sewer, dear?" she asked.

"Of course, I am. You wasted the entire day," I growled.

Instead of being intimidated, she just laughed. "Ooh, my big daddy is pouting."

"Oi..."

Over the course of past year, Candy had developed a new trait.

[Arbitrary].

In essence, she did whatever she wanted to do and didn't give on shit about what everyone else wanted.

Literally, she gave zero fucks.

It was only me and Senna that she cared about.

She flipped me over (and I willingly went with it), and kissed me in the lips.

I wrapped my arms around her as we deepened our kiss.

Then she pulled back just a bit to grin.

"Would a hot night get my boo boo to forgive me?" she asked teasingly.

I raised an eyebrow. "It'll take more than just one night."

It didn't help me much, because with that [Arbitrary] trait and [Lustful] trait, she kept on riding me at night for hours on end.

Tonight was going to be tiring as well. If I'm lucky (or unlucky), we'll be at it until tomorrow lunch.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 108:**

After the laws were all dealt with, I worked on the warriors, the rangers, and patrols. Specifically, I set up an outpost at the western end of the Upper Carpathi Valley where Galburia and my valley meets, and I assigned about 50 warriors and rangers to guard it and to capture any slavers they could, or report any that they need help with to me.

The construction was to start today, and it was to camouflage with the valley to prevent the slavers from noticing the outpost.

I went with them for the first day and construction.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 113: **

We were right. The western end of the valley was the slave trade route.

There was a small passage between the mountains that ran north to south from split off from the valley. The pathway itself was narrow; barely four of me could fit through there. However, it was well concealed due to being deep inside two mountain cliffs.

We also found that the dirt ground there was well "paved" by the numerous ventures people made through here.

There was even a skeleton effigy made to a "god of slavery." It actually pissed me off. I crushed it to dust with one punch.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 114:**

We caught a small band of slavers and slaves. We executed the slavers on the spot and escorted the ex-slaves to Ironwood City. I will have to make a refuge camp soon.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 115:**

Duke of Nanamos sent a platoon and a single captain, who demanded the release of the duke's son.

I told the captain straight up that slavery was illegal in my clan and its territory, and that he should be grateful that I didn't execute the bastard on the spot.

The captain left, declaring that I will "rue the day you crossed the Duke of Nanamos."

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 116:**

The Nanamos captain attacked me and three of my warriors when we were outside to look for more slaver caravans.

I absolutely wrecked them, killing the captain with a well placed punch to his chest (liquifying everything in his ribs) and killing most of the soldiers he brought with him.

I told the survivors to tell the duke this.

"Try this shit one more time and I'll personally destroy your precious castle."

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 130:**

Reports came in from the outpost.

They were being harassed by mercenaries.

I went over and wrecked them, but they didn't know who hired them due to anonymity and third-party organizers.

I looted everything they had. It would make good scrap metal.

To insure the safety of my warriors here, I installed two modified hwacha launchers. It was good against large numbers, and the modification I made allowed it to swivel around.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 134:**

Another mercenary attack. This time, I didn't even need to go over there to help my warriors.

They used the "turret" hwachas I installed the kill over three dozen thugs and wound twice that number. However, the mercenaries did get lucky and did manage to kill 9 of my warriors in return.

One of the wounded -and one who couldn't flee- was the captain of the mercenary band that has been harassing my outpost and warriors. I made him sign a geiss contract -one that Riddle had devised- to never allow himself to be hired by slavers and to never attack me or my people again. He signed it, and I let him go... After I made him cough up 100 gold coins.

Again, the captain didn't know who hired him and his band because of third-party organizers.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 140:**

The Duke of Nanamos was getting annoying.

Really, really annoying.

I read the report in front of me. It was from West Upper Carpathi Valley Outpost.

They were being harassed again. This time, the harassers managed to help slaver caravan through the valley with a hundred slaves.

I was slowly passing into the realm of being pissed off.

"I'm heading over to the outpost, Candy," I said as I stood up from my desk.

"I'll go with you."

I looked at her.

She had been lounging on the sofa with only her cotton bra and shortpants. "You sure?" I asked her. "These guys aren't fun. They don't even have magicians with them like the first mercenary band we fought last year."

"I'm bored," she deadpanned. "There is absolutely nothing going on around here except from that outpost."

What she said was true.

Due to the increased security and patrol number that I employed in Lower Carpathi and Eastern Upper Carpathi, most of the bandits who were hiding in my territory were soon exposed. In the fights that followed, we exterminated all of them with minimal casualty from our side.

Good armor, training, and number helped us in that regard.

So Candy, ever the bloodthirsty warriors herself, was bored.

"Alright. Just don't stray too far from me," I mock mother-henned.

She just grinned and jumped on my back.

* * *

I took me with thirty warriors. Most of them were recruits who completed their training.

We trekked the mountainside instead of taking the valley's road. This way, we wouldn't announce our presence to any enemy force that may be hiding.

We passed by the Aru tribe without greeting them.

I looked up.

We were probably just thirty minutes walk away.

"How long~?" Candy whined.

"30 minutes?"

"Aarrrgghhhhhh."

I chuckled. "We got to have the newbies train their legs a little, now won't we? Besides, they can't jump like I do."

Few days ago, Candy and I had gone on a little date of our own. I took her to the peaks far north of our Ironwood City. We had lunch there and came back to see everyone finish up their lunch breaks.

Of course, this peak was Shendar Peak, the highest peak in the regions around us at 4,833 meters, and more than 10 kilometers away. It wouldn't be a date if we saw a mundane scene.

"Uhh, boss," someone hissed.

I stopped and looked to the troll sergeant in charge of these 29 fresh warriors.

"What is it?"

"I think they saw us."

"Who-?"

He didn't get to answer my question. This was because an arrow ran straight through his skull.

I quickly let out a pulse of [Sonar].

My eyes widened.

They were everywhere around us.

"Shit!" I hissed. "They're everywhere!"

Soon, Galburian mercenaries men, easily identifiable by their blue chainmail and cone helmet, emerged from the treelines with bows and arrows.

'[Time Accel]!' I intoned.

Time slowed down for me.

Okay, okay, okay. I just walked into a trap with these fresh warriors behind me and Candy.

There are at least a thousand of them. How the hell did they get so deep within my territory?!

'Think that later!' I thought as I saw an arrow being released.

So 1000 versus 31 of us. In an open field, that's decent odd for me. I could take that on.

But I'm in the middle of a dense mountain forest. I can't use my Bomb Arrows, I can't use my area of affect skills unless I want a log to fall on my own people.

Candy and I could move fast enough to take a lot of them out, but the rest of the warriors can't. They aren't Arlas or Iskan; they are literal green boys.

I caught the arrow and snapped it in what felt like four seconds but was actually half a second. I stared at the tip of the arrow and hissed.

Poison. Candy can't devour these. "Poison!" I shouted in a stertch of time that felt like 3 seconds but was actually 1 second.

Then my eyes caught sight of a hundred arrows being fired.

Shit.

100 poison arrows.

"Shields!" I roared as I grabbed Candy, hugged her, and knelt down.

The poison arrows rained down on us.

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Interlude  
****Galburian Side of Things (Ruto's Year 1 + Day 129):**

**Parties involved and their status:**

Somberas Republic has conquered 10% of former Galburia. Their war with Tyronia stops their current progress. They have conquered 8% of Tyronian territory. (West)

Tyronia has conquered 15% of former Galburia. Their war with Somberas Republic stops their current progress. They ahve lost 8% of their northwestern territory to Somberas. (South)

Kalevania Kingdom has conquered 4% of former Galburia. They are hampered by Duke of Marcos. (Southeast)

Duchy of Kan has conquered 3% of former Galburia. They are hampered by joint effort of Grand Duchess of Sarang and Duke of Revyola. (East)

Duchy of Iopsos and Duchy of Duchy of Sarge have allied with each other by marriage and the creation of a new dynasty between the two. (Southwest)

Duchy of Hakaning has declared themselves fully independent after signing a peace treaty with king of Galburia. They are the first to sign the official independence treaty. (Central-Southeast)

Duchy of Marcos is beating back both Kalevania Kingdom and Tyronia. Their current pace of victory is not expected to continue once Tyronia ends their war with Somberas. (Southeast)

Duchy of Nanamos has been acknowledged by most as independent, pending peace treaty accepting their independence. They have the largest army out of all former Galburian duchies and the king himself. (Northeast)

The Kingdom of Galburia has now 46% of former Galburian territory. (Center+North)

Contested Zone between Duchy of Revyola, Grand Duchy of Sarang, Kingdom of Galburia, Duchy of Hakaning, and Duchy of Marcos is fought by all of the mentioned nations. (Central East)

**Total number of troops, mercenaries, and adventurers involved:**

140,000 troops (estimated)(Larges Holder: Tyronia(30,000))  
9,000 mercenaries [3 bands] (estimated)(Largest Holder: Somberas Republic(7,000))  
64 S-rank adventurer (sighted)(Largest Holder: Duchy of Nanamos(15))  
399 A-rank adventurer (sighted)(Largest Holder:N/A (200))  
8,000 B-rank adventurer (sighted)(Largest Holder: Kingdom of Galburia(4,000))  
13,000 C-rank adventurer (sighted)(Largest Holder: Somberas Republic(9,000))  
50,000 D-rank adventurer (sighted)(Largest Holder: Somberas Republic(28,000))  
50,000 slaves (counted)(Largest Holder: Kingdom of Galburia(29,000))

**Current Classification:** Regional War bordering on World War

**Total Casualties so far: **49,000 troops. 30,000 civilians. 60% from plagues and diseases. Rest from raids, pillages, battles, and mayhem.

**Measures taken by neighbors:**

Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi: No change. Not accepting refugees. Not accepting refugees without education or skill. Immediate deportation.  
Tyronia: At war with Galburia  
Somberas Republic: At war with Galburia  
Duchy of Kan: At war with Galburia  
Canterrius Empire: No change. Not accepting refugees without education or skill. Immediate deportation for rest.  
Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire: No change. Busy fighting Kerman Rebellion  
Kerman Rebellion: Recruiting slaves and fighters. Very open to refugees (before forcing them into arms)

**Role of Adventurers in this war:**

Case #1: Hired Swords   
They fight for whoever hired them. Largest by number.

Case #2: Rapists, Pillagers, and Looters  
They take advantage of the chaos of the war to do whatever they want.

Case #3: New Counts and Barons  
They declare themselves king, baron, count, duke, and whatever they want to call themselves. Smallest in number. Reason for the Contested Zone. It is literally 100 nations fighting each other for space smaller than [Maine]. Duchy of Iopsos is actually an adventurer duchy created by Sarah Iopsos, the Galburian S-rank Fire Archmage.

Case #4: Guardians  
They risk their lives to protect the weak, the poor, and the innocent.

**Effect of this War on Galburia:**

*Decreased production.  
*Huge loss of life.  
*Destruction of several dynasties.  
*13% of all farmlands are on fire. Literally. Some stupid idiot casted Fiendfyre and are STILL casting it from afar.  
*Total trade suspension.  
*Loss of banking system.  
*Decentralized rule.  
*Breakout of diseases and plagues after Curse Priests got too handy with them.  
*Chaos.

**Effect of this War on Neighbors:**

*Increased slave trade going in and out of Galburian region.  
*Increased raids going in and out of Galburian region.  
*Mobilization of neighbors and war (Tyronia, Kan, Somberas)  
*Refugees in the tens of thousands.  
*Extremely decreased trade.  
*Fear.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Arc End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 1, Day 81:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto] [Chief Ruto] [Troll King] [Count Ruto]  
LvL 140  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 168.5(+922) (+50.0 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1844(1383(SGMII))  
DEX: 320  
AGI: 299  
END: 686  
INT: 233  
WIS: 256  
CHA: 200  
Unused Points: 0**

**Spirit: 39  
Magic: 25  
Power: 40**

**Control: 107  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +1366  
Infamy: +661**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 4)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 10)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 4)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 8)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 88) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 64)  
Reinforcement (LvL 47)  
****Sonar (LvL 40)  
Time Decel (LvL 6)  
Mountain Killer (LvL 3)**x

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 29)**x**  
Archery (LvL 33)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 19)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 31)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 36)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 60)**x**  
Charging (LvL 22)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 46) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 33) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 5))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 35)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 33)**  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 21)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 12)  
Intimidation (LvL 50)  
Language (LvL 5): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 3)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 5)  
Listening (LvL 33)  
Mapping (LvL 19)  
Negotiation (LvL 14) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 2)  
Persuasion(LvL 10)  
Physical Durability (LvL 58)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 16)  
Running (LvL 76)  
Lovemaking (LvL 13)  
Teaching (LvL 21)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 7)  
Throwing (LvL 44)  
Trapping (LvL 51)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 77)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **, **Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , Lizardmen, Earth Fairy, Orc

**Warrior Count:** 699

**Total: **3,686

**Levy from Vassals:  
1,355**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 1987**  
regionalPower**: 3.7

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.

**Vassal (Tribes, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 16)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 23)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)  
**Shashan** Sorrhl-Ye City (regionalPower: 1)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 3.7)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +600 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 14)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 15)  
**Yoal-Cohkam Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 8)

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set ****  
Contract Emblem for the County of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**List of shit Ruto got over the timeskip**

**1\. Class: Berserk  
2\. Class Upgrade: Berserker - Destroyer  
3\. Class: Archer  
4\. Class skills (look above)  
5\. More people for his clan.  
6\. **

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*So I had a guest who reviewed right off the bat for Chapter 58. I found his response to be odd and incorrect.

#1. There were many deaths close to Ruto. Remember Yan?

#2 Bandits don't like to kill lords. That tends to give them a mark on top of their head for all manners of bounty hunters. Historically, bandits were more likely to ransom any lords and their relatives they took down on the road for cash. Lack of a response from kidnappers can make people believe that the kidnapee was dead. This is often the case in the world you live in.

#3 Ruto did actually fail some of the quest. It's for that reason that he now lacks a "Focus" feature that he used to have early in his life.

So in the end, Ruto is successful overall, but not always. Sure, his success rate is very very high, but this is because he has had help. Perhaps you meant it to be constructive, but have you tried to blitz your WoW? When LvL 60 was max (a long time ago) in WoW, all you needed to do to reach that max LvL was 1 month of NEETism. Ruto had about 450 days so far when walking and breathing = progress. He could literally blast [Sonar] every single second for EXP.

Btw, you don't even have the balls to review with yo real account, so suck on th-. Oh wait, you don't have them.

But there is truth to what you said. There's not enough people dying from Ruto's side...

Who should I kill next?

*About Zepolya. Some of Chapter 57 is actually something that I meant to delete, but haven't gotten around to. So I fixed that. Sorry for confusion.

*I also drew Zandalari Troll Ruto! It ain't very detailed, but you can have a general image of what he looks like. The link will be on the profile.


	60. Chapter 60

_**The Annoyance Arc**_

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 134(continued):  
**

I looked up and snarled.

My warriors did well, and the tower shields protected most of them. However, I saw that some of the warriors had been slow in their defense, and they were shot down by the poison arrows.

Then they fired again.

This time, though, the arrows were also not poisoned.

"Poison is gone,"I hissed to Candy.

Immediately, she jumped out from underneath me and began to devour. She jumped at the closest group of mercenaries and devoured their armor and flesh away with ease.

I too sprung into action. I used [Mountain Killer] at half its strength to create a barrier between the western(?) portion of the ambushers from the eastern force. Unfortunately, one of my own warriors got caught.

I grimaced, but attacked on.

Three more of my warriors, now 9 total, die from direct melee.

I killed my 55th enemy mercenary when that happened.

"We have to fall back," Candy said in passing as she jumped from a kill to another. "We can't keep fighting them! There's too many!"

I nodded. despite possessing high physical durability and HP, I was resting on only half from the constant attacks from range and melee. I had been fighting more than three hundred mercenaries by myself.

I turn to my warriors just in time to see another twelve on the floor.

I break one of the spikes made by my Mountain Killer before casting another two to create a path.

"Move, move, move!" I shouted as I projected a tower shield and stood at the back.

My warriors ran.

Candy ran.

I ran while keeping the rear safe with my projected tower shield.

It broke after three hundredth arrow and several dozen sword strikes.

Candy and the warriors are far along now.

I jumped away.

* * *

When I reached the western outpost, I saw my warriors and Cadny sprawled out on the floor right inside the gate. They were sweating literal buckets. The ground around them had darkened from light brown to dark brown from all the sweat they were making.

"Someone get them water!" I shouted.

Then I counted.

Excluding myself and Candy, six had survived.

Six out of thirty.

My own HP was at 233, a mere quarter of my total HP. If I had stayed and fought against those 700 mercenaries, I would have died.

While my people thought of me to be invincible, I knew that I was not.

This battle, if it could be called that, proved it.

As much as I didn't want to admit it, my own weakness was numbers.

Ants may be weak alone, but if they gather in thousands and tens of thousands, nothing, not even mountains, can survive them.

I was such a mountain.

Their attacks did 1 damage. A quarter did none.

But a thousand of them constantly attacking me with that pinprick 1 HP damage?

It would be like being paper-cut to death.

My lack of skills in shielding or barrier had left me with twenty four dead warriors. All of them fresh and hopeful about protecting their families and friends just like myself and so many others.

I wanted to go back and smash those bastards and their skulls, but I couldn't. Not when my warriors were all dead tired, my HP was less than a quarter, and their locations now unknown.

They hadn't followed us to assault the outpost; the hwacha turrets probably dissuaded them from attacking.

So instead of raging or doing anything stupid, I just sa-

Ping!

**[Your condition has triggered Stressed Trait!]**

Ping!

**[New trait: Intimidating!]**

**[Intimidating (Obtained by Prerequisite Condition 4: Stressed + Wroth)**  
_I think he's going to shank me. Oh god, he's coming this way. He's going to shank me!_  
***Effect: -10 General Opinion**  
***Effect: +5% Intimidation skill/category boost to all effects**  
***Effect: Children's first impression of you - Scary! (-50 General Opinion with children)]**

...

Well fuck.

For 5% boost to one skill I have, everyone has -10 opinion of me.

Just fucking great.

* * *

I went out alone tonight. I went back to where my warriors had died, and I saw red.

The fucking mercenaries had raped the dead bodies of my warriorwomen and desecrated everyone's body.

I followed the trail the mercenaries left behind. By the next morning, I had arrived at the west end of the Carpathi valleys and I had lost the mercenaries.

I settled with letting out a rage of roar and devastating the moutainside that I was on.

When I returned to the outpost, everyone kept a good distance with me. That was probably for the best.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 150:**

This time, I was not going to wait for the mercenaries.

I was going to go to them.

To that end, I had set myself up along the route into the western valleys and waited.

As per Shirou and Christopher's advice, I also put up a sign by the entrance of the valley.

"All mercenary bands in Ironwood Clan territory must register with Registrar of Arms and Warfare at Ironwood City."

The said administration was an invention of Riddle (of all people). She said that it was going to be necessary for us to start making files or notes about who was who and who did what in our growing army.

The sign was also in three different languages. Common Human, Galburian, and Yoal Orcish.

So I waited.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 152: **

A band of about 400 mercenaries entered my valley after seeing the sign. Instead of heading towards my city or sending someone to make themselves known, they instead set up camp a kilometer from my outpost, where now 100 warriors resided.

Then they attacked.

I quickly calmed myself down as I jumped to them.

I need to capture one for questioning, preferably their captain.

I need to capture one for questioning, preferably their captain.

Capture their captain for questioning.

And so on. I repeated the mantra over and over again as I reached the peak of my jump and began to fall down.

And then I was upon them.

I crash landed with the force of a meteor, cratering the land the entire mercenary band had been standing on. With one swift barrage of [Double Strike]s, I ended the lives of half of them. Then I punched the rest to death. Women or men, I did not discriminate. Anyone who attacked my people were equal in my eyes.

And then I had the captain in my grasp. I was not 3 meters tall like I was before I received the mark of the Red War God (Kyuubi), but I was still 2 meters tall. I towered over men and women alike. And this captain was no exception. He was barely 1.7 meters tall, and I had him on his stomach on the ground with ease.

'[Observe].'

**Uberal Isultia of Nanamos**  
**LvL 39**  
**Class: Knight LvL 3**

**Trait:**  
**Craven, Diligent, Cruel, Lustful, Rapist, Adventurer, Pillager, Slaver**

Just one messed up son of a bitch, huh?

Normally, traits are listed in the order of how one gains them. This meant that this captain beneath me got horny, raped someone, went about on an adventure, which turned into a pillage and rape fest, and began to make money from slaves. This was also no one-time deal too, since traits are gained by doing something over and over again or -like myself- gaining them through special actions.

And he was a "Knight" class of all things. Someone who had been taught over years about chivalry, duty, and responsibility.

I thought the slavers and the mercenaries were bad. This guy topped them all.

"Who are you?" I asked him anyway with my full [Intimidation] blaring in the background. While unnecessary, I found it to be very good starting point in [Interrogation].

"I-I don'-"

I grabbed his ankle and squeezed. The captain squealed and screamed.

"Talk or I rip it off."

"Y-You can't d-do this t-"

I ripped it off and grabbed the other ankle. "Talk or I rip the other ankle off."

Now, the man was crying and pissing himself. He smelled.

"I-I-I am U-Uberal Is-sultia of Nanamos. I-I am the son of the Duke of Nanamos."

"I thought your family name was Wallac."

"I-I'm a bast-tard."

I scoffed. "Not something I care about. I told the duke I'd crush his castle if he kept on attacking, and I intend to follow through that."

"N-No, wait!"

"And you aren't needed ... alive, I suppose," I grinned. "A stake would do nicely. After all, you and your family are motherfucking slavers, aren't you?"

"P-Please, wa-ait, I can g-give you g-gold, I-"

I pulled out a spear pole from my inventory. "Now, if you have last words, I'll gladly listen; it's the least I can do for a dead man."

"P-Please wait!"

Ping!

**[New Trait: Sadistic!]**

**[Sadistic (Prerequisite Condition 2: Wroth + Impaler title + multiple instances)**  
_Let me hear you scream, mongrel!_  
***Effect: +10% morale damage**  
***Effect: +50% Intimidation effect boost**  
***Effect: Enemy more likely to flee than surrender (+10%)]**

"... I find it disturbing that I don't mind."

I shrugged and shoved the pole up the bastard's sorry ass and out of his mouth in one swift stroke.

He laid there on the ground, gurgling.

"Well, that's that," I said as I lifted him up and planted the spear firmly into the ground, ignoring the blood spitting, spewing, and shit pumping sorry excuse of a life was doing.

I also found it ironic. This sorry excuse of shit got what he deserved the same way he treated others: cruelly.

Damn. Traits are affecting me hard now.

...

Well, I still had a castle to crush.

I walked over to my warriors, who were grinning. After all, I just crushed an army by myself.

"Hey boss, how the hell did you get strong so fast?" one of them asked me.

"Don't know. I talked to a god. Aside from that," I said, ignoring any other questions. "I need one of you to go to Ironwood City and tell the small chief council that I won't be back for ... a week, I suppose."

"Where are you going?"

I grinned. It was feral, and I knew it.

"I promised the bastard duke of Nanamos that if he kept up this shit," I said as I thumbed the carnage outside the outpost. "I was going to demolish his castle. That's exactly what I'm going to do."

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 156:**

I set out on my own with only 60 units of bread, 10 units of water, the clothes I had on my back, and my Peacemaker. I didn't even wear my armor, lest the Galburians notice me too quickly.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 159:**

I stood before the city of Galiz, the capital city of the Duchy of Nanamos.

To me, it was my next target.

I thought about it over my journey here. I found some bandits and interrogated them for information.

The City of Galiz was the personal city of the Duke. The duke, his heir, and his family resided there. The city was built upon the plains and it was easy to locate. Its tall towers in the middle of the city made it even more easier for me to spot. It also housed more than thirty thousand souls.

Souls that mattered little to me.

I told the duke to not mess with me, but he ignored my warning, just like Shashan before he was brought down from his kingship to mere hereditary position as mayor for his cities.

If there was one thing that carried over from my old life, it was not _I do not go back on my words_.

This meant that I was going to commit a massacre on a scale yet seen. I would be quadrupling my clan's kill count, even if I was the only one who killed that much.

I had debated, of course. After all, not all of Galiz was guilty to attacks upon my people, but nor were they completely innocent. After all, it was their family and friends who supported the Duke. It was their family and friends who joined the mercenaries. It was their family and friends who killed my people.

The mercenaries? I found out on the second day of my journey that there were no mercenary bands in Duchy of Nanamos; they had all been kicked out a year ago.

No, the "mercenaries" were levies of the Duke of Namamos. To save his name, he gave his sons and bastards the right to organize a third of his levies as mercenaries bands under his command to strike at me. After all, in the eyes of the world, he did nothing wrong; the mercenary bands he formed weren't in his "strict control. It was expected of mercenaries to loot and pillage.

So I stood over the city of Galiz, right before its gates. It was night.

At least this way, the civilians would go peacefully.

My eyes closed and I took a stance.

I prepared the [Mountain Killer], but I kept it spinning as I drew on more and more mana.

This was actually something new I discovered about all of my skills. I can charge up any of them for more effect at the cost of more mana.

And I was going to use [Mountain Killer] of all things.

75% reserve...

60% reserve...

48% reserve...

40% reserve...

23% reserve...

12% reserve...

I let it loose.

I didn't shout the skill name nor did I let out a warcry.

I simply punched down with the fury of a thousand suns.

At first, there was nothing.

Then there was a rumble.

The rumble soon became a tremor.

The tremor began to crack the very earth around me.

"[Mountain Killer]," I muttered. "1,500 mana."

There was a pause as the tremor just stopped.

Then it happened.

Spikes and spires taller than hills, taller than Galiz's own towers, erupted out from underneath the city. They ruptured through the walls, the houses, and barracks without mercy. The force of their eruption threw houses into the air, devastated the walls, and destroyed the towers. More than a thousand people were now flying through the air, their deaths certain, and I cared little.

I watched the gutted city for a few moments longer as the civilians, the garrison, the nobles, and the merchants ran about like headless chickens.

_I am not kind._

_I am not benevolent._

_I am leader only to my people._

_Everyone else could go and fuck themselves._

Ping!

**[Devastation of Galiz**  
**Total EXP: 60,911**  
**Total Enemy Casualty: 9,440 dead**  
**Total Enemy Wounded: 10,901 wounded**  
**Total Destruction Caused: 215,911 gold coin worth**

**Prestige Gain: +1,000**  
**Infamy Gain: +5,000]**

**[LvL Up!  
+5 STR]**

_No one gets away from me or my promise._

Without another glance or thought, I turned around and walked away, uncaring of the few stares of the guards who had been on the battlements of the city's wall, fully aware of what had just happened.

* * *

**Interlude:**  
**Galburian side of things #2**

On the Year of our Gods 15,933, the Duchy of Nanamos and the city of Galiz was attacked by the Troll King of Ironwood Clan as eye witness accounts given by some of the guards on the walls. From the accounts of the guards, this attack was not a series of spells but rather a single spell. No one knew about the grudge between the Duke and the Troll King at the time, not that anyone cared.

More than a fifth of the entire city had been thrown into the air. The Majestic Tower of Galiz, a nine hundred year old architecture that rose two-thirds of a kilometer into the sky, had been pierced at its waist.

This attack incapacitated more than two-thirds of the entire city, rendering it inoperable for weeks to come.

Unfortunately, the 44th Duke of Nanamos did not survive. His heir, Reno Utivol Wallac, did.

But as some say, there were insults upon wounds (or wounds on insults).

Hearing the news that the extremely competent strategist, the 44th Duke of Nanamos, had been killed in a freak attack and his capital had been demolished (reducing his impressive levy from nine thousand to seven thousand), the Duchy of Revyola, adventurers from everywhere, and Kingdom of Galburia all attacked the duchy, reducing its territory by half.

In the ensuing battles, the 45th Duke of Nanamos fell in combat, leaving his brother Wu Wallac to lead the Duchy. 45th held the titles for a mere total of 3 months.

Whereas the 44th and the 45th were excellent rulers and brilliant strategists, Wu Wallac was a mediocre ruler and a terrible strategist.

With a third of the duchy's army gone, half of the duchy's treasury empty (spent forcing Revyola and Galburia back), and half of the S-rank adventurers killed in the "Gutting of Galiz," Wu Wullac's rule would not be enough to break the already cemented fall of the Duchy of Nanamos' independence to its enemies by the end of his third year rule.

However, this action of the Troll King would force the attention of his neighbors on him.

* * *

**Interlude (Ruto's Year 1 + Day 144)**  
**Kingdom of Caladria and the Black Drakken Flight Hegemony**

**Treaty of Aurealian Sea**

_Let the pirates rue this day, for our two kingdoms have united together once more in our efforts to wipe out the bloodthirsty pirates of the Aurealian Sea. _

_For far too long have their ilk roamed the High Seas without justice being met out. _

_For far too long our two empires have fallen silent to their actions._

_For far too long they have sullied our ports and our waters._

_On this day, the Kingdom of Caladria and the Black Drakken Flight Hegemony declare a unilateral war against all those who would seek to profit off the innocent and the just. We declare war upon those who would seek to use the high seas to plunder the peaceful ports for nothing more than to sate their desires!_

_From the day of the signing of this treaty, the navies of our two empires shall devote all they can to the elimination and the eventual extinction of the pirates from our ports!_

_Bystanders, beware! Should you harbor these scum of the earth, we will not look the other way. Should you protect these rapists and pillagers, we will not negotiate._

_Let the pirates rue this day for our two empires will spare no expense to see them eradicated from ours islands, our waters, and our ports. _

_Signed,_  
_King of Caladria, Lelouch vi Britannia / Supreme Matriarch of Black Drakken Flight Hegemony, Akavei weslo Zukardis_

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Arc End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 1, Day 159:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 142  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 168.5(+922) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1849(1386.75(SGMII))  
DEX: 325  
AGI: 299  
END: 686  
INT: 233  
WIS: 256  
CHA: 200  
Unused Points: 5**

**Spirit: 39  
Magic: 25  
Power: 40**

**Control: 107  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +2,366  
Infamy: +5,661**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
Ambitious, Quick, Genius, Cynical, Stressed, Content, Teacher[Neutral] (Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, Wroth, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, Intimidating, Sadistic**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 4)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 10)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 4)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 8)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 4)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 88) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 64)  
Reinforcement (LvL 47)  
****Sonar (LvL 40)  
Time Decel (LvL 6)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 29)**x**  
Archery (LvL 33)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 19)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 31)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 36)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 60)**x**  
Charging (LvL 22)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 46) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 33) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 5))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 35)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 33)**  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 21)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 12)  
Intimidation (LvL 50)  
Language (LvL 5): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 3)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 5)  
Listening (LvL 33)  
Mapping (LvL 19)  
Negotiation (LvL 14) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 2)  
Persuasion(LvL 10)  
Physical Durability (LvL 58)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 16)  
Running (LvL 76)  
Lovemaking (LvL 13)  
Teaching (LvL 21)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 7)  
Throwing (LvL 44)  
Trapping (LvL 51)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 77)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **, **Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , Lizardmen, Earth Fairy, Orc

**Warrior Count:** 675

**Total: **3,733

**Levy from Vassals:  
1,357**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 1987**  
regionalPower**: 3.7

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.

**Vassal (Tribes, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 16)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 23)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)  
**Shashan** Sorrhl-Ye City (regionalPower: 1)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 3.7)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +890 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 14)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 15)  
**Duchy of Nanamos -700 (Extremely Hostile)** (nationalPower: 1)  
**Yoal-Cohkam Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 8)

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set ****  
Contract Emblem for the County of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Current Titles:**

Ruto  
The Troll King  
The Impaler  
Troll Ruto  
Red War God's Champion

Iskan  
Demon General of Ironwood  
Unyielding and Honorable Tower  
Marshall of Ironwood  
Grand Master of Highland Ironwood Warriors

Candy  
Demon General of Ironwood  
The Devouring Queen

Senna  
The Queen  
Steward of Ironwood  
Queen of the Ironwood Fairies

Dresa  
The True Miner

Shirou  
The King of Cooks  
The Lord of Food  
The Lord of Swords  
Head of Department of Ironwood R&amp;D

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*How LvLing works: EXP needed to LvL: ((Current LvL)^2)*10 So Ruto's current EXP needed? (141)^(2)*10=198,810. Killing nearly ten thousand civilains (who are worth half of any warrior) and nearly the same number of civilians got him 61k EXP. That's not even half of the EXP needed.

*215,911 gold coins. 1 G can buy 1/5 of a good horse, and a good horse in modern term is around $20k. So 1 G = $4k. A peasant's lifesaving indeed. So 215,911 x $4,000 = $863,644,000 worth of collateral damage. A bit on the cheap side for a historical city like Galiz (comparable to Marseille, France in terms of historical value and commerce to Galburia).

*As far as the world is concerned, Kyuubi is the Red War God. And Ruto has his mark. That's all they want to know.

*Czevak: Sent you a message some time ago, so refer to that.

*Haru: go update your story. I want to read too.


	61. Chapter 61

_**The Annoyance Arc**_

* * *

"WHAT?!"

To say that he was livid was to say that the sun was bright.

He was absolutely furious.

Why the fuck wouldn't he be? The one man he trusted to uphold what was right had backstabbed him.

"How could you do something like that?!" he bellowed.

Ruto turned to him. "What else was I supposed to do?! Just leave him and his army alone?!"

"Those weren't his army! Those were innocent people!"

"You mean the very people that attacked us? The very people who paid tax to support the army that would attack us? The very people who had applied in the mercenary bands that killed our people?" he spat right back.

"Those were women and children!"

Ruto grimaced and didn't say anything.

"How could you do this?"

"Definitely not talk to the guy who's been sending his sons and their mercenary bands at us."

Both of them knew that Ruto's action were going to have consequences. Something like a city-wide massacre does not sit well with anyone. In fact, he was sure to receive some kind of letter from the Chancellor of the Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi over this.

Oh, Shirou wanted to denounce Ruto. He really did. If he hadn't changed from his past self, he would have actually gone and killed Ruto. However, he had changed. Things mattered. Lives of strangers held less value those of his close friends and family.

This clan mattered to him.

He had changed, and it was because of that he could only question but never denounce or demand. Because if he were to be told that his friends and family were going to constantly die because some bastard kept sending mercenaries at them as long as he had the means to do so, then he would've put both those resources and perpetrator.

But the deaths of those children and women were not necessary!

"Why did you do it?"

"I thought it was best way to go about it at the time."

"Slaughtering over half a city is innocent because they paid taxes?"

He scoffed. "And voluntarily applying at the mercenary bands? I may not have done so for every single one of those mercenaries we killed, but the few that I did pick out were all greedy. One of them even had a little diary with what he was gonna do. Would you like to give you the details about how many fairies he was going to enslave?" he countered.

Shirou grimaced. "It's still not right."

"Better them than us!" he roared.

His Wroth and Temper must be peeking.

"There still could've been better ways! Hell, assassinating the duke's entire family would've been better than this!"

"And make everyone else think that we're weak? That the best we can do is hire assassins to take out our enemies?!"

"It's not about what we appear to be! It's about doing what is right! Isn't that why you and I found this clan? Isn't that why we're taking in the refugees? We are the protectors of those around us that who could not fight! We are the ones who do what is right, not what is easy! If we do what is easy and not what is right, then why are we even here with the clan?! Why are we even doing all of this?! Why are we even sweating?!"

He fell silent again.

"...Please don't do it again," he asked Ruto.

Ruto's grimace deepened. He rattled his leg for a while before he relaxed and sighed. "I'll come and ask you first before I do anything too ... grand," he said.

Shirou nodded. It was as much as he could ask for. "... Tell me what happened."

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 161:**

I left the meeting room with a frown on my face, but somehow my heart felt lighter.

But still, I was annoyed.

There was no perfect solution. Shirou and I both knew it. The former Duke of Nanamos was a persistent bastard if he shrugged off the deaths of two thousand mercenaries and the cost to arm them. I had to end the threat before it snowballed, but there was no true way to stop the threat unless I killed his entire family. The way his sons gladly led the mercenaries said so. The way they sought to enslave my people told me more.

Then what? I knew before I destroyed the city that killing the duke's family may put off the Galburians from attacking me for a while. In fact, they may even fear me, but it wouldn't last forever.

If it wasn't the Duke of Nanamos, then someone else was going to come and try.

I had to send a message, which I did with the "Gutting of Galiz." However, now that I had a chance to look back with my thoughts cleared of what Wroth and Stress my Gamer's Mind let through, I had sent a message too great to now be ignored.

I should've chosen the Temperate Trait instead of Quick or Genius. At least then, I would know when to stop.

I supposed, despite what I had steeled myself to do two days ago, those deaths that I caused -deaths I caused to save those around me in the long run- still weighed on me.

Fuck you, Gamer's Mind. Either work perfectly or don't.

**[Query: Impossible]**

... Yeah, fuck you.

"You're back!"

I paused and looked to my left.

I had just left the meeting room. The hallway of the citadel where the meeting room was in was the east wing, the original portion of what was once my wooden fort. This specific hall was lined on the bottom with smooth cobblestone with cobblestone brick walls, and arched cobblestone ceiling.

A lot of cobblestone had to be gathered the day we made the citadel. It was hell, even for me.

The meeting room was also not too far from my own personal quarters, the ones that I shared with Candy.

So I should have expected Candy to be there after the shouting match I just had with Shirou.

It actually made me glad that Shirou decided to keep sticking with me despite my actions. He was too good of a man.

"Hey Candy. I assume you heard what happened?" I asked her with a tired smile.

She paused for a bit before wrapping her arms around my back. "It's alright."

I scoffed. "As long as I'm fine, it's alright with you."

She pulled back with a grin. "But of course! You, Shirou, and Senna are the only ones who matter to me."

"Not even Shirou's foods?"

"...Same thing as far as I'm concerned."

I chuckled. "I'm tired, Candy. Let's go rest," I said.

She smiled serenely. "Sure."

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 169:**

When Senna heard what I did, she was not as livid as Shirou was. She didn't shout at me too.

Instead, she simply took an entire week off and then some. She had her usual employees off work too. She then told me that while Shirou was unwilling to punish me for my actions, she was certainly not above such. She then left the entire administrative work to me and me only. No one else was to help me.

I gladly accepted. It was only right.

I should've protested. I should've rejected.

I realized just how much work she had been processing. Although my city was small, the administrative work was bigger than what my city suggested. This was especially so because we had constant influx of immigrants and merchants moving in and out (mostly merchants doing out once they sold their goods).

The number of paperwork that I had to process kept me up from sun rise to sun dawn behind the desk.

My hands, my strong hands whose muscles could crush any creature's skull, ached by the second day.

My arms, my thick arms that shrug off arrows and swords, ached by the fourth day.

My _ass _ached on the first.

My fingers? My fingers were dead by the third day.

I learned my lesson. I won't piss of Senna anymore. Yes, that would be best for my health.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 170:**

This time, it was Christopher's turn to rage at me. Apparently, he had received demands from Somberas Republic, Kingdom of Galburia, and the Duchy of Kan to cut ties with my clan and myself for the "atrocities" that I have committed.

He refused, of course. Not only was I his close friend (and everyone else his competitor and enemies), our two nations were now prospering thanks to the new trade policies, the same policies that would never be approved by anyone else.

Naturally, he rejected all demands. However, he was still angry about what I had done. My actions had made the future a bit grimmer for both of our nations and for ourselves.

At the same time, however, he was happy with what I did.

Apparently, I was not the only one getting harassed to death by mercenary-pillagers. Unlike myself, however, Christopher didn't have someone with 65% physical damage reduction or three thousand STR to punt the shit out of the pillagers.

Four of his border cities had already been sacked and more than several thousand people had been killed.

I certainly felt better about having done what I did.

He finished the letter he sent me on a mixed signal: he was enraged that I had spoiled all manners of future diplomacy, but at the same time, he was glad I did what I did, since his people now didn't have to worry so much about enslavers and pillagers as much as before.

* * *

I trained a bit that afternoon, and my [Double Strike] went up by 1 and my [Rapid Fire] went up by 2.

Now that most of my skills are over LVL 30's, it's taking heck of a long time to LvL them up by solo training.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 174:**

I received a letter from the Duke of Revyola.

From what I learned about him, his Duchy, and the recent events, he led his duchy to victory against Duchy of Kan, who was an independent nation that invaded former Galburian states in hopes of acquiring territory from easy picks.

Duchy of Revyola had turned out to be a tough shell to everyone's surprise. The duchy was known for its exports of pleasure slaves, flowers, and _pencils_, not hardened free-body soldiers capable of taking down three enemies for every one of them. On top of that, they had a small academy of magic that managed to remain hidden for decades. The magicians produced from this academy were all solid C to B-rankers, and they devastated the Duchy of Kan's armies wherever they were.

Unfortunately, the Duchy of Revyola still lost some territory.

I supposed that after my demonstration upon Galiz, Revyola was scared of its northern neighbor: me.

The letter went something like this.

_To the Troll King of the Ironwood Clan,_

_I don't like you, and I demanded that you release the lizardmen from your unjust conquest._

_Signed,_  
_Duke of Revyola, Tyrolia Balkiish_

Okay, I really, really summarized it, but that's how it went.

So I sent a letter of my own.

Again, this is summarized.

_To Duke of Revyola,_

_Fuck you._

_Signed,_  
_Chief of Ironwood Clan, Ruto_

I sent the fairy off with the letter, and I went right back to bed.

* * *

**Omake**  
**Mistakes were made**

"Mama!"

"Daniel, leave her. She's dead."

"Mama!" the small child in front of Daniel cried.

Daniel's temper snapped and he grabbed his little brother's wrist and began to drag him away, even if he too had tears flowing down his cheeks.

"MAMA!" Ty shrieked as his older brother dragged him away. "MAMA!"

Today, their last parent died.

Only two weeks ago, Daniel, Ty, their mother, and their father had been a happy family. Their mother was a stay-home mother, and their father was a magic engineer. He dealt with a lot of buildings and had done a lot of things to boost their crumbling house's structure as well.

Despite the high demand for Structural Magicians, they were not paid well. This made life hard for the family, but they didn't starve or run out of clothes. They weren't rich like the doctors or the healers no were they well off like the nobles and the merchants, but they lived happily, at least.

At least until the Gutting of Galiz happened.

Their family lived on the edge of the city, right by the city walls. When the Gutting happened, their family's house had been struck on the side by the enormous spires and spikes. It was only thanks to their father's magic that their family house did not collapse.

However, the act of keeping the structure together and saving Daniel had caused the death of their father. A single spike had drilled up from the floor and -in a moment without hesitation- their father pushed Daniel away in the shaking world around them and took the spike to the chest.

Then today, their mother had been killed by the thugs of the street while Daniel had been working for the city's construction teams.

At least they didn't rape her.

Daniel, being 14, knew the harsh reality of the world. Had known it for some time even before the Gutting.

But this was too much.

So as he dragged his brother away from the cooling and soon to be rotting corpse of their mother, he vowed revenge.

Revenge against the Troll King of Ironwood Clan.

He would not be the first nor the last to do so.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Arc End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 1, Day 159:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 142  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 168.5(+922) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1849(1386.75(SGMII))  
DEX: 325  
AGI: 299  
END: 686  
INT: 233  
WIS: 256  
CHA: 200  
Unused Points: 5**

**Spirit: 39  
Magic: 25  
Power: 40**

**Control: 107  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +2,366  
Infamy: +5,661**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,** Stressed, **Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 6)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 10)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 4)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 8)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 4)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 88) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 64)  
Reinforcement (LvL 47)  
****Sonar (LvL 40)  
Time Decel (LvL 6)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 29)**x**  
Archery (LvL 33)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 19)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 31)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 36)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 60)**x**  
Charging (LvL 22)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 46) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 33) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 5))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 35)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 34)**  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 21)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 12)  
Intimidation (LvL 50)  
Language (LvL 5): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 3)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 5)  
Listening (LvL 33)  
Mapping (LvL 19)  
Negotiation (LvL 14) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 2)  
Persuasion(LvL 10)  
Physical Durability (LvL 58)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 16)  
Running (LvL 76)  
Lovemaking (LvL 13)  
Teaching (LvL 21)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 7)  
Throwing (LvL 44)  
Trapping (LvL 51)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 77)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **, **Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , Lizardmen, Earth Fairy, Orc

**Warrior Count:** 675

**Total: **3,733

**Levy from Vassals:  
1,357**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 1987**  
regionalPower**: 3.7

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.

**Vassal (Tribes, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 9)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 11)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 3)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 16)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 23)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)  
**Shashan** Sorrhl-Ye City (regionalPower: 1)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 3.7)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +890 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 14)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 15)  
**Duchy of Nanamos -700 (Extremely Hostile)** (nationalPower: 1)  
**Yoal-Cohkam Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 8)

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set ****  
Contract Emblem for the County of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*I saw how some of my readers were not happy with my choice of having Ruto commit a massacre. But this is exactly what is happening not because *I* want it to happen, but because I put his traits into account for his actions.

Ruto's current OUTSTANDING traits are the following:  
Stressed, Wroth, and Quick.

He makes rash decisions influenced by his stress and anger. And as you see in this chapter, it will soon bite his butt.

Yes, the Gamer's Mind does help to negate some effect, but it is not a emotion neutralizer, just a dampener. And sometimes, having your emotion simply dampened instead of exploding can have worse consequences. But of course, everything is situational.


	62. Chapter 62

**Do you know what I wish for? The ability to post small pictures in all chapters. **

**Anyway guys, what's up? Welcome back to Re:Gamer. Now as I am writing this, I cannot see any of the reviews for Chapter 61. Sucks, I know. This just means that I'll be answering your questions from 61 on 63. I think this happened like two months ago? Anyway, I will answer questions on the chapter when the review system fixes itself.**

**Now, would you guys believe me if I said that I got a 36/36 on my ACT english portion? Cuz I did... 4 years ago.**

* * *

**ALSO!**

** I made another map update. **

**This one is a huge update that shows roughly ... 5% of the total world. And because of this update, I am now taking OCs, OC kingdoms, and etc admission. If you want me to take your admission seriously, I expect at least a personal message with at least 300 words, including the location you prefer to have your stuff in. You may name a kingdom or general location. However, don't whine to me when kingdoms fall, because they will.**

**You MUST message me if you want the OC. If not, I'll just ignore it.**

* * *

_**The Annoyance Arc**_

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 220:**

Ironwood City's expansions has slowed a little.

As of recently, the immigrants have begun to die down a little despite the fact that there were now more refugees about in our region. This was because there was now a notion that I was some kind of a warlord who would rape and kill anyone I found.

Completely false, of course! But after what I did to Galiz, I couldn't really blame them for thinking about myself that way.

'But then again, Galburians are raiders, pillagers, rapists, and enslavers all wrapped up in one,' a corner of my mind cynically commented. This was also true as well. Galburians, as a whole, accepted slavery and endorsed pillaging of other lands. When I learned of this, I was actually half-tempted to forbid Galburian immigrants into my city without heavy reeducation.

Still, my "Gutting of Galiz" had sparked a renewed warfare in the region right next to ours. Duchy of Nanamos was falling apart. I had personally even observed their army get steamrolled over after the magicians -who must have been the "S-ranker" that Christopher talked so much about when it came to adventurers- fell to a stray arrow.

I almost laughed.

A stray arrow killed a sixty year old human S-ranking magician who had been solely keeping the Nanamoian army afloat. But with his death, Nanamoian army had been forced into a rout as massive amounts of A-rankers and B-rankers from Revyolan army charged forward.

It was there that I found that I was comparable to a S-ranker. Perhaps in the top 5 of the entire region. A-rankers and B-rankers had small difference between each other in terms of power and experience. A B-ranker knight was capable of taking down fifty or so regular infantry before he had to fall back. An A-ranker would take down maybe eighty.

But an S-ranker?

They mowed regular infantry like the hwacha turrets.

The old S-ranker magician had been an [Ice Mage]. He conjured hundreds of ice spears and sent them hurling at flying arrow speeds. Crazy, ain't it?

Hundreds of ice spears, each half as thick as my own forearms, conjured every twenty seconds. And I mean hundreds, not one hundred or two hundred.

Like five hundred and seven hundred, hundreds.

In fact, if I didn't have the physical durability that I did, I wouldn't be able to fight that magicians at range. I could only fire so much with my [Rapid Fire] compared to the old ice mage.

Only reason Revyolan army didn't fall as because they had a literal dozen of A-rank magicians focused for only one purpose: barriers. With the barriers in the air, at most a dozen or so of the ice spears made it through to strike at the Revyolan army.

And that stray arrow ended the stalemate by killing the ice mage.

Still, the point of that reminiscing was that my action had renewed the warfare in Duchy of Nanamos. Refugees, freeborn and slaves, were fleeing the duchy as fast as they could.

This also meant more bandits and raiders.

This was where the annoyance of my recent days began.

Unlike the organized raiders that the previous duke of Nanamos had set up, these raiders were numerous in groups and extremely small in numbers. On average, there were maybe a dozen, and from what I could guess, there were thousand of such bandits.

Thousands.

I hunted them down everyday, but their numbers don't seem to shrink!

If I knew that this was going to be the result of my "Gutting," I wouldn't have done anything! These thousand groups of raiders were actually starting to do more damage in the countryside than the mercenary bands!

It was pissing me off to no end!

Ping!

**[Stress limited reached! Migraine activated!]**

Please god, no- MOTHERFUCKER!

I buried my face into my hands and groaned.

And then there was the stress trait.

It would not leave me alone!

I sighed. Well, there goes my afternoon right there.

For me, migraine was a status effect. It prevented me from focusing anything mental. Moving too quickly caused a "bleeding" effect at -1 HP per minute.

I sighed again.

My heeeead...

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 222:**

Another refugee group joined us. It was another slave family. We broke the iron chains on their ankles and wrists and set them up a new home. This family was new though in the sense that they were elves. Never met elves before.

I wondered when the Galburian war was going to end.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 226:**

Orcs from Yoal-Cohkman tried to raid Yaran-Ye again. I dispatched them quickly.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 227:**

Raiders attacking the western valley outpost. I sent fifty more warriors towards there to deal with them.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 229:**

Aru tribe, the kodo herding troll tribe who now lives in the center of the Upper Carpathi Valleys, has been attacked by pillagers on the outskirts of their herding grounds. Skirmish ensued, and four of Aru tribesmen died. Nine of the raiders had been killed.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 231:**

Candy, who was leading a small patrol, was ambushed. She made short work of the ambushers with no casualties from our side, but it pissed me off.

Oh, here comes the migraine again...

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 232:**

I decided that enough was enough. Of the five hundred and some warriors still in my city, I sent all but fifty out in groups of fifties to hunt down the bandits and vagabonds.

And I want to be rid of this stress!

Ping!

**[New Quest: Stress Relief!**

**Requirements:**  
***Total of 100 days of less than 20 units of Stress]**

... Seriously? All I had to do was complain about stress to get this fucking quest?!

Ping!

**[Stress limited reached!]**

'I want to scream, so badly,' I thought as the migraine struck again.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 234:**

First reports are in. The patrol parties managed to kill seventy groups so far. Not bad, but we could be doing better.

... And no alert. Does that mean that I didn't reach 20 "stress units?"

I looked at the quest. And sure enough, one day had been filled up.

"Hooray?"

And I also have to complete that martial arts quest. Maybe Christopher has a book on some martial arts in his castle?

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 235:**

One of the patrol had been ambushed by the biggest bandit band. It was clear win for my patrol, though, despite being outnumbered two to one. The patrol lost ten warriors for fifty they killed. Funerals will be held the day the bodies come in.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 243:**

Christopher did send me a book on something called Quarterstaff martial arts.

Basically beating the shit out of each other with staffs.

...Eh, could be worse.

Ping!

**[Quest complete!]**

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 250:**

Total casualty to date: 43.

Total confirmed enemies slain: 998.

So far so good, but the funerals are killing my heart. I trained up half of these warriors only to see their funeral.

...And the stress kicked in.

Crap.

This was also another thing.

My migraine was now slowly preventing me from participating in any expeditions outside of the city because of the "bleed" effect. I really needed to get rid of it.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 254:**

"Candy?"

"Yes, Ru?"

"Am I being a good leader?"

She frowned a little before she laid her head back down on my bare chest. "What brought this about?"

"...I'm sending our people to fight and die against a problem of my own making."

"We all die one way or another," she replied casually, as if it didn't matter much to her. Which was true; her arbitrary trait made sure of that. "But I don't think anyone blames you."

I scoffed. "I don't quite believe that."

She pushed herself up, giving me the full view of her naked breasts, tits and all. "I suppose you're having too much trouble dealing with your migraine to listen," she said. "But you do realize that almost all of our people love you, right? You protect them. You feed them. You educate them-"

"That last one is mostly Shirou."

She rolled her eyes. "And you make sure he can educate children by helping him."

I frowned anyway. I like'd having her say all of these good things about me, but I still wanted to confirm. "You said almost all?"

"Senna said some of our people who's been with us since the start are feeling that we are being no different from the warmonger humans, especially after your demonstration of power few months ago," she replied easily.

I grunted. I could concede to that.

"And who are these people?"

"What do you intend to do to them?"

"...You're concerned about them?"

"No, just curious."

"Nothing. I intend to do nothing. I just want to know."

"Okay."

"...Well?"

"I don't know. Ask Senna."

"...You were playing with me just then, weren't you?"

She smiled. "What if I was?"

I just barked out a laugh.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 259:**

Bandits were mostly cleared out. I decided to risk some HP to hunt the bandits myself today. I found and killed about thirty of them.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 264:**

The warriors agreed with me when I said we cleared out the bandits. We threw a celebratory party for the whole city.

Senna was not happy with how much gold coins I spent.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 265:**

I decided that the next course of action was to upgrade the western valley outpost from the flimsy wooden structure that it was to a small fort to serve both as resting spots for caravan and to provide a more sturdy defense against enemies.

Fire burns wood but not rock.

With that in mind, I hired about three hundred worker from the city and set up camp right next to the outpost.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 271:**

It took us almost a week, but it was complete.

To call it a fort would be exaggeration. It was a single cobblestone tower barely ten meters in diameter and a circular cobblestone, roughly thirty meters in diameter, with the tower built into the south side of the wall itself.

Still, at least my warriors stationed here won't burn to death if a bandit decided to throw a torch.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 276:**

Quarterstaff ... they are formidable weapons.

When I first learned of it, I looked down upon it. But now?

A regular warrior of my clan, one of the few who showed interest in learning the Quarterstaff martial arts, was able to land three hits on me in quick succession in under two seconds because of the flexibility that the quarterstaff offers. I didn't boost my speed with any magic or skill, of course, but it was ridiculous!

And if you add nails or spikes at the tips, they are murderous weapons.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 278:**

Am I glad that I upgraded the outpost.

Apparently, according to the report carried by the fairy messengers (don't ever piss them off or they won't carry your message), one of the very few remaining bandits did attempt to burn it down at night ... only to find out that there were night guards _in the forest _and that the outpost was no longer completely made out of wood. In the same report, the outpost captain reported to me that the "bandit" in question was too well armed, armored, and trained; he almost put Golsu in critical condition.

The captain suspects this man to be a saboteur from one of our rivals.

...

Perhaps that was another thing that had changed over time. My people, including the lizardmen who were now prospering under my rule, began to see Galburia as their rival and enemy, even the Galburian refugee themselves.

That says a lot of Galburia's patriotism, or lack thereof.

Still, if this captive is indeed a spy or a saboteur from our enemy...

I grimaced.

More annoyance was soon to follow.

* * *

**Interesting News around the World:**  
**(Read along with map opened up. Map can be found at my profile)**  
**Ruto's Year 1 + Day 244:**

*Kingdom of Caladria declared war upon the Uxukhan Empire after the latter nation refused to stop harboring pirates using their port. With the help of the Black Drakken Flight Hegemony as their ally, Caladria pushed Uxukhan from its coastal regions. At the same time, Uxukhan's disgruntled nomad clans have declared war for their independence. One of this was the semi-autonomous region of Quel'Vessus, a Night Elf nation. Tecari duchy also declared war upon the Uxukhan Kingdom, but they did so for no apparent reason other than conquest.

*Duchy of Kan has been losing its two-front war against Grand Duchy of Sarang and Duchy of Revyola. Seeing no true victory, they quickly signed a peace treaty where the parties involved in their war keep the lands they currently occupy.

*Duchy of Iopsos and Duchy of Sarge, the two allied duchies of the former Galburian lands, had successfully managed to remove Tyronian and Somberan occupation of former Galburian lands by a decent swath, increasing both of their territory size of nearly 40% each.

*Duchy of Marcos has lost some of its battles with Kalevania Kingdom, but revolts from within their borders has caused the rise of adventurer kingdoms and duchies. At the moment, the two states have signed a peace treaty.

*Raic-Duhlsi Vampiric Republic has declared war on Ulster. Again. This marks the 115th war between the two nations.

*Kerman Rebellion of the Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire have gained much grounds in the southern regions of the Kerman lands. However, its northern Kerman holdings have fallen in size after losing four battles and two thousand men, forcing the rebels to retreat deeper north.

*Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi has signed an official declaration of alliance with the Ironwood Clan, who has committed an atrocity mere months ago. This has earned the ire -and trade cessation- from the following states to the aforementioned allies: Hlynovukos Grand Duchy, Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire, Kingdom of Galburia, Duchy of Revyola, Somberas Republic, and Duchy of Nanamos. This is expected to affect the Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi ... not at all. The Kerman Rebellion has upped its own trade with the two nations with their demand for weapons. If anything, Duke Zepolya and Chief Ruto are making a killing just trading with each other.

*Suh Dynasty has declared war against Norrure Kingdom over the disputed territory of Nolgan. Suh Dynasty has called their allies of the Black Drakken Flight Hegemony to the war.

*The passing of Empress Sarah Nazovia of the Fasrun Empire and the subsequent crowning of the current Emperor of Volreek Empire to the titles of Fasrun Empire has cemented the run awaited union of the two empires. This has effectively created an empire that has more than 431 million people when its closest equal, Canterrius Empire, only has 98 million people. Unfortunately, all administrative experts believe that managing the empire will be a job too much for the current administration of the Volreek Empire.

*Blue Fire Drakken Flight has surprised every one of its neighbors by declaring war upon the Somberas Republic and Tyronia. Too surprised by the sudden declaration and the surprise attack that came along with it, Somberas lost four thousand troops and Tyronia lost six thousand troops in the Battle of Agimore. Blue Fire Drakken Flight has used this chance to double their territory size.

*Theocratic Empire of the Golden Sun has welcomed the new edition to its empire. King of Si has declared his fealty to the Emperor-Priest of the Golden Sun. This has opened the Pipari Sea routes to the Empire of the Golden Sun. This is expected to boost Ulster, the empire's ally against the demonic forces of the Raic-Duhlsi Vampiric Republic, via supplying Ulster with manpower, weapons, and gold.

But as far as the world of Andalusia is concerned, it's Tuesday.

* * *

What Senna, the Steward of Ironwood Clan, thinks about all of this development:

_"More trade, more paperwork, and more refugees." -Senna of Ironwood Clan_

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Arc End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 1, Day 220:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 142  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 168.5(+922) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1849(1386.75(SGMII))  
DEX: 325  
AGI: 299  
END: 686  
INT: 233  
WIS: 256  
CHA: 200  
Unused Points: 5**

**Spirit: 39  
Magic: 25  
Power: 40**

**Control: 107  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +2,366  
Infamy: +5,661**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,** Stressed, **Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 6)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: (Pure Combat Skills marked by** X**)  
****Berserker (LvL 10)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 4)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 8)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 4)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 88) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 64)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 26)  
Reinforcement (LvL 47)  
****Sonar (LvL 40)  
Time Decel (LvL 6)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 29)**x**  
Archery (LvL 33)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 19)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 31)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 36)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 60)**x**  
Charging (LvL 22)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 46) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 33) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 5))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 35)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 34)**  
**Fireball (LvL 7)  
Fishing (LvL 21)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 12)  
Intimidation (LvL 50)  
Language (LvL 5): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 3)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 5)  
Listening (LvL 33)  
Mapping (LvL 19)  
Negotiation (LvL 14) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 2)  
Persuasion(LvL 10)  
Physical Durability (LvL 58)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 16)  
Running (LvL 76)  
Lovemaking (LvL 13)  
Teaching (LvL 21)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 7)  
Throwing (LvL 44)  
Trapping (LvL 51)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 77)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **, **Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , Lizardmen, Earth Fairy, Orc, Elf

**Warrior Count:** 737

**Total: **4,582

**Levy from Vassals:  
1,833**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 2,311**  
regionalPower**: 4.2

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.

**Vassal (Tribes, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 2)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 19)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 26)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)  
**Shashan** Sorrhl-Ye City (regionalPower: 1)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 4.2)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +890 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 15)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 15)  
**Duchy of Nanamos -700 (Extremely Hostile)** (regionalPower: 85)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 7.6)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set ****  
Contract Emblem for the County of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Stress Relief (22/100)**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**


	63. Chapter 63

**Another map update. **

* * *

_**The Annoyance Arc**_

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 286:**

A morning of cold winds and bright dawn light.

And trouble.

It has been two weeks since the last of the bandits were wiped out after one final sweep of the entire Carpathian valleys. I found out that despite owning so much land, I didn't quite know much about it. I knew the lands around my city and the lands around Aru tribe -because they report what they see regularly. However, the northern valleys and the far western valleys?

I knew _absolutely nothing _about them.

It was for that reason that I was actually exploring with Candy. I left the management of the city to Shirou and Senna once more -along with the rest of the Small Chief Council.

I'm sure they were cursing me and Candy's soul for leaving them with the management job.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 293:**

I have made a surprising discovery.

Yesterday, I came across this weird valley where there was no valley. All I saw was a mountainside in front of me, but my [Sonar] was constantly pinging that there was a path forward.

I took a step forward ... and found myself shattering whatever illusion had been placed there.

I retreated immediately, and today, I was back to explore this hidden valley.

I stepped into the valley.

And immediately, I was greeted by a warming wind. It was comfortable.

I grinned.

Exploring was fun!

Candy, however, was scared. She stuck close to me. She always had one hand on my sleeves or an arm around my waist or arm.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

"T-There's something out there."

I looked about.

Well, yeah, I supposed there was. My [Sonar] told me that there was a bout a thousand _somethings_ in the forests.

"It'll be alright," I assured her. "None of them are red."

She looked at me for a while before nodding. She loosened the death grip she had on my waist.

Red, blue, green, and yellow. Those were the "colors" of others around me when I used [Sonar]. It was how I saw my enemies, allies, and neutrals. I told Candy about this skill. So when I said there were no red, it meant that none of those "somethings" were hostile to either of us.

We made about a kilometer into the valley when something happened.

The ground rumbled and something burst out of the ground. I grabbed Candy and jumped away immediately.

The thing stood before us. It had trees and rocks on its body. It looked like an elemental, but it wasn't; it had a physical so physical _trees _grew on it.

'[Observe],' I intoned.

Ea'Lorg the Old Guardian  
LvL 556

Race: Primordial Earth Jotunn

STR: 3,901  
AGI: 103  
DEX: 60  
END: 9,001  
INT: 177  
WIS: 633  
CHA: 98

Traits:  
Content, Kind, Diligent, Patient

Racial Trait:  
[Earthen Might], [Swords are Needles]

'Holy shit, those stats and LvL. 9,000 END? I'll never be able to take him down if I fought him.'

"Who goes there?" the giant spoke.

I was startled by his high squeaky voice.

Seriously?

"I am Chief Ruto of the Ironwood Clan. I am merely exploring my territory, though I did not expect to see you or the people of this valley."

The giant opened his eyes.

"A troll?"

I frowned. "You have something against trolls?"

The giant just leaned a bit forward. "No, no, no. I'm just commenting. It's rare to see a troll around here. Maybe up in the Volreek Empire, where I was born, but not here. The Kingdom of Sasa didn't have any trolls when I last woke."

"...Kingdom of Sasa? Where's that?"

"The owner of the Carpathi, of course."

"Never met them."

"Never?"

"The previous rulers of Carpathi was the House of Zepolya under the leadership of Duke Chirstopher Zepolya of the Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi."

"...Never heard of them."

"How long have been asleep?!"

"I don't know. I'm just here to protect."

"Protect who?"

"This valley and its wind elementals."

I blinked in startlement. Elementals? Here? I looked around, my [Sonar] pinging out farther than before. And then I saw. People without real shape, flowing like water and wind. "... I see. Well, I'll be sure to tell everyone to steer clear."

"You would just walk away? That is strange."

I stopped turning and looked up. "Well, aside from the fact that elementals are usually stronger than normal warriors and soldiers, this is you and your people's land, right? I want no trouble."

The giant stared at me for a moment before nodding. "You are a good man, Chief Ruto. Most would denounce this entire valley simply because of the younger ones and myself."

"What's wrong with the two of you?"

"Nothing, of course. But humans are ... discriminating at best and crusading at worst."

I scoffed. "I know. My nation and my clan are still fighting raiders sent by those Galburians."

"They still live? Last time I was awake, it was they who were about to fall out of existence."

"...Seriously, how long have you been sleeping?"

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 316:**

I was not ... expecting this.

In front of my city was a huge horde(?) of winged kobolds.

Probably not kobolds. They were too big. They looked like dragons, as illustrated in some of the books Christopher lent me, but at the same time, they lacked the bestial aggression.

No, they were drakken, the sapient cousin of the dragons.

They were also outside my city because my own warriors were holding their swords, axes, and spears aggressive at them.

"What the hell is going on?" I shouted as I approached the city. "And where's Shirou and Senna?!"

Arlas, the highest ranking warrior I saw at the moment, stepped from the crowd of wary warriors. "Chief!" he saluted. "We have an entire clan from the Imperials. Small Chief Iskan was not happy about imperials coming so close to our city in such size that he had us mount some defensive stance."

I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. I looked at the drakken flight for a second before turning back.

"I see ... 60 or so children and that many eggs."

"Sir?"

"They're refugees. Can't you see their haggard faces and shrunken stomach? Get them inside the city now," I told Arlas with a snarl. The troll quickly nodded. I turned to the rest of the warriors. "Someone throw that gate open and get them all something to eat! The children look like they are about to collapse!"

Soon, the warriors were throwing the gates open and the drakken flight was moving in. My people came out of their homes with what clothes, food, and medicine they had on their hands. I was once again proud of my people.

Ping!

**[New trait: Kind]**

**[Kind**  
_Love is kind [1 Corinthians 14: 4-8, the Holy Bible]_  
***Effect: +50 Vassal and General Opinion**  
***Effect: -100 opinion with opposite traits (Cruel)**  
***Effect: +10% opinion boost with each "kind" action]**

'...Finally! A positive trait!'

* * *

Once the people of the "Scorchscale" clan were being fed, their leader came up to me in the public kitchen halls.

"Who are you?" I asked the red drakken who had come up to me.

"I am Kragnok Scorchscale. I am the clan head of the Scorchscale drakkens," he said as he took a small bow.

Kragnok looked different from the youngs of his clan. The younglings looked more like reptilian kobolds; the drakken younglings had four limbs, a tail, and humanoid body, and longer jaw and skull. The longer skull and jaw became more pronounced with age to the point where Kragnok, who stood before me, had a skull as long as my arms horizontally with a pair of horns pointing backward.

Kragnok, an adult of the drakken, looked different. He certainly had the humanoid body, but I could see where slight changes had been done. His legs seemed just a tad bit smaller in ratio compared to the younglings, and he had a fledgling wing. This probably meant that he was not that old, but old enough to act as a leader.

"My clan and I are in your debt, Chief Ruto," he said with a bow.

I raised an eyebrow. "You've heard of me?"

He nodded. "My clan used to live in the harsh mountains northeast of your city. Some merchants and traders come and go, and we have heard of your clan from them. I did not expect it to be this big though or this diverse."

"Northeast... Isn't that the imperial territory?"

At this, the temperate in the room spiked a little. Both my warriors and the drakken clan looked enraged.

Over the past year, including just yesterday as well, the Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire kept on raiding my border towns, forts, and outposts. The frequency has dropped since the start of the year, but raids still hurt my people. In fact, they were the cause of the most deaths.

He nodded. "The imperials have become restless in their constant losses and very few victories against the Kerman rebels. They demanded resources from my clan when they offered nothing back in return. We refused and they sought to wipe us out for the minerals and other resources that could be found in our mountains," he said quietly.

I frowned. "How big was your clan?"

"Three thousand. We are all that's left as far as I know."

I scanned the kitchen hall.

Three thousand. I saw less than two hundred before me.

"You have my condolence."

He nodded. "I ... my clan and I seek to live within your city."

"Okay. sure."

...

"My clan and I-. Wait, what?"

"You can live with us. But we do have laws and all children must participate in schools during weekends."

"Just like that? You'll let us live among you?"

"Do you have anything to offer aside from your muscles?"

"..."

"Exactly. However, because you are a clan, you do receive some privileges ... and responsibilities."

"May I know what those are?"

"Sure. First, you are allowed to possess large amounts of land free of charge when you first settle down. This means that you can live anywhere on my territory if you so wish. Second, you may continue to practice your culture or religion as long as they do not infringe upon our laws. Third, as your clan expands in number, you are allowed to add more land to your clan's territory as long as those lands have not been allocated for other purposes, belong to this city, or belong to another clan."

"You have only stated the privileges."

I grinned. "Sharp, aren't you?"

He was quiet.

"Then responsibilities. First, your clan as a whole pay higher taxes along with base tax. This is due to allowing larger territory and land grabbing than what I or my council would allow for a single citizen. Of course, this means that if you don't engage in anything involving trade or production, we're going to have problems.

"Second, you are a citizen of my nation and one of my clans on top of that. This means that your actions abroad have higher impact on our nation. Don't be stupid or rude. That's what I ask if you go abroad.

"Third, once a clan or tribe reaches the population of 100 adults, you must provide a mandatory manpower of 20 people. I care not whether this manpower is all women or all men, just that you do. Not all of them need to be soldier. They can be explorers, builders, farmers. As long as they work directly for my nation, I care not. This responsibility is a constant growth thing. For every 10 adult, two of them has to work for me."

"You ask a lot in return."

"I give a lot in the first before I ask anything in return. I also don't ask for any tax or anything like that for the first six months too! Of course, if you don't want to have all of those privileges and responsibilities, I will still allow you to live in my nation as citizens."

Kragnok seemed to be think about it before he smiled. "I will gladly accept this as the leader of the Scorchscale Clan."

I grinned. "Welcome to the Ironwood City, Head Kragnok," I said as I extended a hand. He shook it, and I turned to the kitchen hall. "A feast to welcome our new brothers and sisters!"

There was a cheer and I smiled.

* * *

**=\/-Akallas von Aerok-\/=**

* * *

Intersting News around the World...  
(Ruto's Year 1 + Day 330)

*A city-state of the undead practitioners by the name of Necropolis, or Barrelhaven, have joined the Kerman Rebellion. However, this movement has split the said movement into two. The northern rebels were all followers of the Path of Light. To them, undeads were abominations. The southern rebels, however, were followers of the local shamanism. Dead rising back up from the dead was one of the few rare magics that did get performed before the imperial conquest; they were perfectly fine with it.

*Tyronia-Blue Fire Drakken Flight-Somberas-Galburia four way war still continues. The Blue Fire Drakken Flight has made huge territory grab into western Tyronia. Tyronia, too busy fighting Somberas and Galburia, has little resistance against them. Somberas has lost territory to the BFDF, but not as much as Tyronia. Galburia and its dukes have reclaimed more of their former lands back. However, the Kingdom and its dukes are still split. Duchy of Marcos has also signed the peace treaty with the king, increasing the number of independent dukes to 2.

*Tyronia, with more than half of its manpower depleted and war on three fronts, are now experiencing its own rebellion movements.

*Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire has sacked a total of 12 of its clans, 10 of which were non-tax payers and 2 of whom were enemies of the current ruling hierarchy. This has made the minor clans fearful for their lives, even if only 2 out of 12 were legitimate clans.

*Uxukhan Empire is nearing its defeat. Its independence seeking clans and attacks from Tecari Duchy and the Kingdom of Caladria has reduced its territory to a mere third of what it once had.

*Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi is now experiencing its own share of rebellions. The Count of M'Arkan, emboldened by the chaos of the wars to the Duchy's south, has amassed an army of 6,000 and 5 S-rank adventurers. Then he declared war ... on everyone, including his own liege. Yup, he declared war over no reason with no goal other than conquest on literally EVERYONE. Some say he was possessed and bewitched mere months before this insane declaration of war. Despite the lack of brain cells, he has made huge gains for a small count like himself. In mere 15 days, he doubled his territory.  
With too much troops being posted on the borders to keep raiders, territory seeking adventurers, and unwanted refugees out, the Duke of Transyl-Carpathi is expected to call upon his ally from Ironwood Clan.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Arc End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 1, Day 290:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 143  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 168.5(+922) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1849(1386.75(SGMII))  
DEX: 325  
AGI: 299  
END: 686  
INT: 237  
WIS: 257  
CHA: 201  
Unused Points: 11**

**Spirit: 39  
Magic: 25  
Power: 40**

**Control: 107  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +2,366  
Infamy: +5,661**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,** Stressed, **Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 7)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Berserker (LvL 11)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 5)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 10)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 6)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 91) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 66)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 28)  
Reinforcement (LvL 49)  
****Sonar (LvL 44)  
Time Decel (LvL 10)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 32)**x**  
Archery (LvL 37)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 25)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 34)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 39)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 69)**x**  
Charging (LvL 24)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 51) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 40)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 40)**  
**Fireball (LvL 16)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 14)  
Intimidation (LvL 51)  
Language (LvL 7): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 39)  
Mapping (LvL 22)  
Negotiation (LvL 17) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 13)  
Physical Durability (LvL 55)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 24)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 23)  
Teaching (LvL 23)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 47)  
Trapping (LvL 52)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 79)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **, **Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , Lizardmen, Earth Fairy, Orc, Elf, Drakken

**Warrior Count:** 755

**Total: **4862

**Levy from Vassals:  
1,855**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 2,311**  
regionalPower**: 4.2

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.

**Vassal (Tribes, Clan, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 2)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 19)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 26)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)  
**Shashan** Sorrhl-Ye City (regionalPower: 1)  
**Kragnok Scorchscale** \- Scorchscale Clan (clanPower: 16)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 4.2)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +890 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 15)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 15)  
**Duchy of Nanamos -700 (Extremely Hostile)** (regionalPower: 85)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 7.6)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set ****  
Contract Emblem for the County of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Stress Relief (49/100)**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*New Nations named/Added! Thanks to all of those people who've given me suggestions, admission, and OC's ... in a PERSONAL MESSAGE.

Barrelhaven by General Bobo  
Neighbors: Kerman Rebellion, Yoal-Cohkman Oricsh Empire  
Status:: Nercomantic City-State  
Religion: N/A  
Races: Dhampyre, Lich, Skeleton, Human, Elf, Veshta Nerada, Faze, Shade, Ghost, Wraith, Zombie, Troll, Banshee, Wight, Draugr, Tauren, Orc, Revenant

Tri-State of Light by godofwrath1  
States: Haru, Akarui, Nikkou  
Neighbors: South of Canterrius Empire  
Status: County-Nations allied with each other.  
Religion: Path of Light  
Races: human, wood elf, night elf respectively

Warring Hives of the Desert Scarab by godofwrath1  
States: 34 hives and their queens  
Neighbors: Tiurila Flying City State, Kingdom of Bagan, Land of Wolshang, Xa  
Religion: N/A  
Races: Black Gurrivish Nerubian (sentient, Race)

* * *

*Regarding Ruto's lack of jutsu dispersion...

Let's see the facts here, shall we? Let's say you have a mage character in an MMORPG. He knew extremely powerful fireball spell. One day, you decide to forget that spell for an extremely powerful ice spell. Your character can no longer use the spell nor know what it is. He can recognize it, but he can't use the incantation because he no longer knows. This is basically what happened to Ruto. All of his previous life skills were linked with his Gamer. When he reincarnated, his Gamer did what games do: forget.

Unless I have a book/scroll of jutsu appear out of nowhere, no one will be learning Naruto jutsu in this world... as far as Ruto knows, anyway. Who knows. There might be a nation to the far east, north, south, or west that uses jutsus similar to Ruto's past life.


	64. Chapter 64

_**The Annoyance Arc**_

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 333:**

I sat across from Christopher.

"You called me to war?" I asked him.

He nodded nervously. "A vassal of mine has declared war on me, and I don't have the manpower to stop him as he is."

I raised an eyebrow. "Isn't your duchy like one of the biggest duchies out there?"

"Two duchies in one, but yeah," he replied with a nervous chuckle. "The thing is ... when we had the Battle of Pset, I actually had more than five thousand troops fighting the Galburian contingent in the west. They almost got annihilated."

"Ah."

"Yeah..."

"And the rest?"

"Keeping order and guarding the borders," he said. "I have at max three thousand troops and 1 S-rank adventurer."

I raised an eyebrow. "You have a S-rank adventurer with you?"

He nodded. "Ah, the thing is ... She's .. my wife."

...

I rose up. "What?"

He shrunk.

"Itkindofhappenedalittletooquick,Iwasdrunk,shewasdrunk,wefuckedandbylawwe'renowhusbandandwife,pleasedon'thurtmefornotinvitingyou-!"

I chopped at his head gently. "Speak slowly, Chris."

"...I was celebrating the founding of Pset's new magic academy since it was something I had been working on for nearly a decade-"

"Damn. That's a long time."

"-So I went to the local bar near my citadel. I ended up getting drunk and when I woke up..."

"...Well?"

"I found myself naked, a hot girl in my arms, and my dick still inside her."

"...Ah."

"By law, I am now married to her."

"And she happen to be a S-rank adventurer?"

"Yup."

"Hot, strong, probably smart... Didn't you get lucky?"

He grinned. "I did."

"When do I get to meet her?"

"Well, you can meet her now if you want."

"Sure."

He stood up and walked out of the meeting room.

After a while, he came back with ... I stood up to greet.

"... Your wife is a half-Arakkoa?"

The girl in question stood next to Christopher as they entered the meeting room. She had red feathers with bits of white specks on the feathers. She had a human face and body shape. Her arms were covered in feathers, giving them a wing-like look but she possessed human hands. Her hair was red and white. She also had a small cluster of feathers that came out from her waist down to her ankles. It seems that she only inherited the wing feathers from whoever was the avian half of her parents.

She was dressed in loose, red fabrics that hung loosely around her. She left her shoulders, arms, belly, and lower legs exposed.

"Half-harpie actually," she smiled. "It's an honor to meet you, Chief Ruto of Ironwood Clan."

"Honor to meet you, Lady...?"

"Tiana Wessex, but I suppose it's now Tiana Zepolya."

'[Observe],' I intoned.

**[Tiana Wessex-Zepolya**  
**LvL 175**  
**Class: **  
**Archer - Spear Archer - Star Seeker**

**STR: 332**  
**END: 537**  
**AGI: 439**  
**DEX: 899**  
**INT: 133**  
**WIS: 250**  
**CHA: 109**

**Traits:**  
**Attractive, Strong, Patient, Diligent, Hunter, Envious, Greedy, Proud, Honest, Gregarious]**

'She's higher in LvL than me, but not stronger,' I thought. "So you're the wife he's been boasting about," I grinned.

She raised an eyebrow and looked to Christopher. "Oh?"

"What? My wife is hot."

She playfully slapped his shoulder.

"How long have you been married?" I asked the two of them. They acted way too friendly for a couple that had been married after drunk accident.

"A month," Tiana replied. "But Christopher ... has moved my heart, so to speak."

"You mean I bought you a gold ring for our status and a nice bow."

"I liked the bow more than the ring, honey," she grinned.

"An archer, I take it?" I faked speculation.

"Yes. A S-rank Third Class Archer."

"Oh?"

"A Star Seeker," Christopher grinned.

"And what does a Star Seeker do?"

"I can fire a shot high into the sky, where upon it comes back down with devastating effects. The reason for the name of my highest class is because Star Seekers are often found shooting at the stars."

And inane conversations like those continued on, but everyone had their mind on something else.

* * *

It was after dinner that the three of them had a real conversation going on.

"So who is the guy you are calling me into war for?"

"Count Sevarrius of M'Arkan. Twenty days ago, he had amassed an army of six thousand and several S-rank followers, and then declared war on everyone."

"Everyone?" I repeated.

"Everyone," Christopher nodded. "He declared war on me, on Galburia, on Somberas, and County of Sukkil."

"Sukkil?"

"Small independent nation between my duchy and Somberas. They used to be part of Somberas, but they waged war for independence, which my grandfather helped them with. Last I heard, the entire nation fell to M'Arkan."

"That's ... bad."

"Yeah. Sukkil also had three thousand troops, which means that M'Arkan's numbers are nearing ten thousand."

"...Holy shit."

It really was holy shit. If it was just ten thousand troops against me and Christopher, then it would be fine. But S-rank followers _with _ten thousand troops?

"Are they engaging anyone in battle right now?" I asked him.

"Galburia has been trying to reclaim the lands they've lost to Somberas," Christopher said as he laid out the map. "Without us going into the fight, M'Arkan is currently fighting Galburian adventurers, Galburian army, Somberan army, Somberan adventurers, and local lords. I expect that there are at least thirty thousand troops and fifteen S-rankers involved in the area right now."

I whistled.

It was a true war going on down there. "And how many sides?"

"As many as I've stated and more. Of the fifteen, 7 are independent, so they may appear out of anywhere and strike at anyone because no one knows where they are."

"That may be a problem," I commented.

"...I know of two who might be in the area and may be willing to join us," Tiana spoke up.

Both of us looked to her.

"Who?"

She smiled slyly. "My two older brothers."

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 335:**

I returned to my home, and gathered up the warriors. It was time to help our allies once more. Iskan and his Highland Ironwood Warriors were the first to volunteer even before I asked. I had Senna send a message to my lizardkin vassal for their levies.

"So war?" Shirou asked when the entirety of the Small Chief Council had gathered.

"Yeah," I confirmed with a sigh. "Christopher's troops are spread too thin, and M'Arkan, the asshole who's causing all this trouble, hired five or so S-rank adventurers as well."

There was a shocked silence before many of the chiefs began to protest.

"We can't fight that many S-rankers!"

"That's suicide."

"Maybe we should just break this alliance."

"Nope, nope, nope, nope."

I chuckled, which brought the council to a stop. "Tell me," I spoke as I activated everything related to my Charisma. "Do you honestly believe that 5 S-rankers will possess us problems when I'm here?"

There was a bit of hesitation.

I knew exactly what I was asking, of course. An S-ranker was equal to a thousand well armed, armored, and disciplined soldiers.

On the other hand, I stood here as the leader of the Ironwood Clan. I had brought up this clan from its founding mere two years ago to what it was now, a nation made up of the abused and neglected that rose up to perish their abusers and perpetrators. A clan that had more than ten times its population in kill count.

Perhaps it was just fear on their part. I could understand that. After all, we had no idea who these 5 S-rankers were. Information was power, and we were without information.

"Don't be so scared though," I chuckled again. This time, the dwarves and the arakkoans looked miffed at what I said. "We will also be having two S-rankers joining us soon."

"Who are these S-rankers?" Shirou asked.

"Brothers-in-law of the one recently married Christopher Zepolya."

"...Wait, he got married and didn't invite us over?" Candy frowned.

"No, it just happened after the two of them got drunk."

There were chuckles, and Golt was saying something about the youth.

"So we have at least five S-rankers on our side as well," I said. "So I need to know the supplies and how you intend to carry ..."

After 5 hour meeting, it was decided that Shirou, Candy, and I would take 400 warriors to bolster Christopher's army.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 337:**

I met up with Christopher at Pset, his capital city, where we usually met. I had brought with me 400 warriors, Shirou, Iskan, and Candy.

When he saw my 400 warriors, he was delighted. He remembered how 50 of my warriors had turned the tides of the Battle of Pset by themselves against an army of several thousands, so to him, 400 warriors of the Ironwood Clan was worth as much as several thousand troops. On top of that, all of my warriors were class holders. This surprised the shit out of Tiana and Christopher. I had my warriors demonstrate their abilities.

Everyone was shocked.

What I had brought was effectively not 400 warriors but 400 C- to B-rank adventurers.

I was proud to hear such a compliment as were my warriors.

Then I found out that Christopher's vanguard led by one of his vassal had been ambushed. The army of 1,400 had been reduced to a mere 500.

A disaster.

He told me that with that attack, his levies had fallen from 4,000 to 3,100.

This was woefully small compared to the near ten thousand army under M'Arkan's control. Our only saving grace was that the two brothers of Tiana had agreed to work for us in exchange for a small fiefdom; they had wanted to settle down. To our surprise, one of Tiana's brother had a friend who decided to join our side of the war. This has increased the number of our S-rank or equivalents to 6.

Well, discounting my ability to perhaps take on at least two S-rankers by myself, of course.

It was now going to be a matter of how we were going to fight M'Arkan.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 338:**

After Christopher hired a mercenary band known as Green Falcon, we started our march towards M'Arkan's territory.

That's when the rain began.

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 356:**

What should have taken us a mere 10 days to reach the border of M'Arkan took us nearly double that. Had it not been for my Inventory, we would have also had to have left behind some of our supplies because the wagons began to sink in the mud. Our march was further hampered by the slow process of gathering levies while we were marching towards the battlefield.

It sucked. Rain, mud, and chill air for two weeks.

Thankfully, we made it to the frontlines without any ambush or loss of our warriors and troops.

I surveyed the lands before me.

Unlike Carpathi (as apparently there were four Carpathi's in the Duchy of Carpathi including Upper and Lower Carpathi), Duchy of Transyl was mostly plains, forests, and rolling hills. There was not a single mountain in sight.

The battle here would be very similar to my battles against the lizardkin a year back.

It was time for battle.

* * *

**Interesting News around the World**  
**(Ruto's Year 1 + Day 340)**

*Uxukhan Empire is no longer an empire, but a regular khanate. Cici clan and the Nojar clan have both successfully detached themselves from the dying Uxukhan Empire to form their own khanates, the Cici Khanate and the Nojar Khanate. Tecari Duchy is still at war with the Uxukhan Khanate, but the latter nation no longer has to fight a 5-side war. This has caused the Tecari's advances to come to a screeching halt.

*Quel'Vessus Union has also achieved independence from Uxukhan Khanate. This would be 211 years since the conquest that led their region to be subjugated by the Uxukhanians.

*Kingdom of Caladria forced a peace treaty upon the Uxukhan Khanate. In this peace treaty, Uxukhan Khanate would cede all of its coastal provinces and neighboring provinces to Caladria as well as pay 14,000 gold coins as compensation. This is considered to be actually a very lenient peace treaty for the Uxukhanians because normally, a total defeat likes of which Uxukhan experienced from Caladrai would result in vassalization or much bigger compensation.

*Black Drakken Flight Hegemony has clashed with Kingdom of Neutonia over the issue of privateers and piracy in Laguz Alliance waters. This has resulted in loss of 3 Hegemony frigates and 7 Neutonian war galley.

*Duchy of Revyola and the Grand Duchy of Sarang have been officially declared independent after Kingdom of Galburia signed the peace treaty acknowledging the independence of the the two duchies.

*Following the devastating battle against Tyronia at the Rout of Sobyinius, the only daughter of Duke of Iopsos and the eldest son of Duke of Sarge marry each other. This union gives birth to the Grand Duchy of Iop'Arge. They then led the Battle of Sobyinius, which led to the conquest of all former Galburian lands that Tyronia held adjacent to the Grand Duchy of Iop'Arge. Then they declared themselves the Kingdom of Iop'Arge. The King of Galburia was reasonably pissed off. Due to lack of manpower and willingness to continue the war, the Kingdom of Galburia signed the peace treaty acknowledging Kingdom of Iop'Arge as an independent nation. The latter kingdom is still at war with Tyronia and Somberas Republic.

*Tyronia has successfully vanquished the Minar War for Independence by beheading the Duke of Minar after he was captured. However, in their effort to stomp out one rebellion and manage two wars at the same time, they had completely ignored Juvak War for Independence. They have grown twice their original size and are fielding ten thousand troops, two thousand more troops than what Tyronia can field currently. King of Tyronia quickly signed the peace treaty acknowleding Juvak as an independent nation.

*Kerman Rebellion has split into two over the issue of accepting nercomancers into their ranks. Believers and followers of the Path of Light in the north denounced their southern brethren, who responded to the denouncement by officially separating their movement from their northern counterpart.

* * *

**=\/-Akallas von Aerok-\/=**

* * *

**Omake 1:  
Derin Saxes the Wanderer**

"Derin."

"What?"

"Derin."

"What?"

"Derin."

"WHAT?!"

Laughter.

"Sorry, sorry. Just bored as hell," an orc said as he lightly slapped the human he had been calling for the past minute.

Derin just glared at the orc.

It had been a month since he had done the inevitable: settling down.

Derin Saxes, as the man knew himself, was a wanderer. He was a man whose feet never stopped moving forward. He was the epitome of what was to be boundless!

But even wanderer must sit down eventually, whether it was by their own making or the hands of Death. Derin ... decided that he would settle down voluntarily; no one was going to stop him when he didn't want to.

To that end, he had traveled for a three months to find this elusive "Ironwood Clan." Supposedly, the clan was composed completely of monsters and the like. He was to be his last adventure before he settled down ... somewhere. He hadn't really thought much about _where _he was going to settle down, only that he would.

So when he arrived at Ironwood City in rags, having evaded bandits, giant centipedes, and imperial raiders, he was quickly pushed into a kitchen hall and fed the most delicious food he had the honor of tasting.

He cried a little that day.

The soup before him was like his mother's own until he learned that the food in question was some kind of a centipede.

Then he explored the city. What he found amazed him.

Ironwood Clan, and the Ironwood City, was a clan made up of more than two dozen races, True Race and Monster Race. Humans, draenei, drakken, elves, kobolds, trolls, onis, _fairies_, succubi, and so much more. He actually couldn't handle the mental shock of it all and had to spent an entire day inside one of inn rooms just to let his mind organize his thoughts.

He decided to settle down and apply for citizenship.

After a bit of interview, he was assigned a squad leader of 5 who would be doing exploration.

Couldn't say he didn't like his new job. He could move around like he used to, just with a place to call home.

It was nice.

But then this orc got assigned to his squad.

And here they were, tracking through the mountains and valleys, mapping the lands and finding new things.

So far, he and his squad

"Hey, boss."

"Hmm?" he turned around. It was one of his squad member, a troll by the name of Xaxa. He was pointing down. "What are you pointing at-?" He froze.

There was a village down there.

"Well, I guess we found our first contact village," Derin said. "Alright guys, let's go greet them."

* * *

When Derin and his squad got down to the valley's ground level, they were met with an odd sight.

The village was ... odd.

To be more specific, its population looked more or less like slimes.

"...Huh?" Derin muttered.

Even for a wanderer like him, this was new.

Slimes? They don't gather in villages. They don't maintain a village. They don't gather at all, period!

Yet, here was an entire village of slimes, living happily with each other -_and farming._

He cautiously approached the nearest slime, who hadn't noticed him. "Umm, hello?"

The slime, which looked like a featureless, muscular version of a transparent human, turned around.

"Ooh, a human!"

That statement got the entire village's attention, and they began to come out by the droves. Some of them were smaller than Derin's own fist but there were those larger -and much more featured- then the one he initiated contact with. They were gathering in a circle.

Then they parted as a nearly human looking man -albeit with the oiliest skin Derin ever saw- to greet them.

"It has been a while since a human came here. Is there something you're looking for? But ah, where are my manners? My name is Chief Grub-gu of the Gubble Village. I welcome you to our home. Who might you be?"

Derin spoke up. He was the squad leader, so it was his job anyway. "We're explorers from the Ironwood Clan who controls this region."

"Including this valley?"

"Well... no one knew that you were here."

"I see, I see. Then I would like to meet with your leader -god, I always wanted to say that- and discuss ..."

And so, that was how the Gubble Village met the Ironwood Clan.

* * *

**Omake 2:**  
**The Hopefuls  
**

It had been few months since the Gutting of Galiz.

Few months since the attack of the troll king had unleashed the floodgates of the angry and suppressed slaves.

Less than a week after the attack, most of the slaves of Galiz rose up as one. They attacked their masters with stolen weapons. However, they had no match for the well-trained and well-armored might of the soldiers of Nanamos. Despite outnumbering the soldiers by a multiple of four, the slaves lost the battle and fled.

Thus began their current march towards the home of the troll king, the Ironwood City.

The city, as the rumor held it, was said to flow with honey and milk.

The city, as the rumor held it, was said to be strong and mighty, able to protect all those who came underneath its loving wings.

The city, as the rumor held it, was said to be just and fair, even if their king was sometimes reckless.

This rumor, this single rumor, was the reason that an entire horde of two thousand slaves marched tirelessly towards that city.

They were going to get there even if their feet bled like a river, if not for themselves, then for their children.

For the city was something that the slaves had never seen nor felt in their life. It was something they always thought they could never have.

A promise of freedom and fairness.

_(OC "nation" by kage88, plot and writing by yours truly, Akallas)_

* * *

**Omake 3**  
**Barrelhaven Necropolis:**

When the Kerman rebels first showed up at their front gates, the necromancers and the denizens of the forgotten city of Barrelhaven Necropolis were ... wary. After all, it had been the fact that the city was forgotten that the darker denizens of this city had been able to live in peace. Hell, they were all decent people too! It was simply because they were reincarnated in a bit .. messy fashion that people didn't like them!

Balthazar was especially worried. He was after all the Lord of Barrelhaven Necropolis.

But then he began to scheme as he heard the plight of these rebels. It had been some time since he and his city had been separated from the rest of the world.

He learned that there was a rebellion happening. This rebellion was against the Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire, which had conquered the lands some 200 years ago. Balthazar had been alive at the time. In fact, the reason why he and his city had been forgotten was because he made sure of it when the invasion came.

To remain free of control and harassment.

And now, here was a chance to become not just truly free but also more than that.

He schemed.

He got the necromancers of the Barrelhaven Necropolis to support him, and then he offered the Kerman rebels a proposition: we will help you if you allow us to keep half of the lands we get for you.

They readily accepted. From what he learned, the rebels were slowly running out of manpower, and an inexhaustible manpower was something they desperately wanted.

So here Balthazar was.

The entirety of his city supported him, rebels needed him, and the orcs ran from him.

And soon, he and his city would have their own county to rule and with it, freedom.

They were close...

...

Perhaps he should contact this Ironwood Clan to help him secure his city's freedom as well. They sounded like strong people.

Yes, allies will be needed to establish a good foundation.

_(OC and OC city-state by General Bobo. Plot and writing by yours truly, Akallas)_

* * *

**Omake 4**  
**Caladrian Diplomacy**

Lelouch waved his right hand as the crowd lined up on either side of the street cheered.

"All hail Lelouch vi Britannia! All hail Lelouch vi Britannia!" they cheered and roared in ecstasy and awe.

A mere few days ago, Lelouch had effectively crushed the last of the Uxukhanian forces at the Battle of Scario, where his force of 5,000 Caladrian infantry and 2,000 Black Drakken Hegemony flyers devastated the last ditch defense of the 10,000 strong Uxukhanian horde.

With this, Caladria had vanquished one of their long rivals from their high pedestal. Uxukhan lost their title of empire. Caladria had regained the territories it had lost to Uxukhan 100 years ago. The kingdom had regained the populace who had been kept away from their rightful neighbors and rulers.

So they cheered on their seemingly invincible leader. The Victorious White Emperor. The Invincible Tactician. The Rightful Ruler of Caladrian Empire.

However, the crowds, too excited and riled up as they were, didn't notice a hooded man with a small crossbow.

When the king of Caladria went down with a crossbow bolt stuck on his shoulder, the crowd silenced themselves.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Arc End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 1, Day 290:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 143  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 168.5(+922) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1849(1386.75(SGMII))  
DEX: 325  
AGI: 299  
END: 686  
INT: 237  
WIS: 257  
CHA: 201  
Unused Points: 11**

**Spirit: 39  
Magic: 25  
Power: 40**

**Control: 107  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +2,366  
Infamy: +5,661**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,** Stressed, **Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 7)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Berserker (LvL 11)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 5)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 10)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 6)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 91) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 66)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 28)  
Reinforcement (LvL 49)  
****Sonar (LvL 44)  
Time Decel (LvL 10)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 32)**x**  
Archery (LvL 37)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 25)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 34)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 39)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 69)**x**  
Charging (LvL 24)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 51) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 40)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 40)**  
**Fireball (LvL 16)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 14)  
Intimidation (LvL 51)  
Language (LvL 7): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 39)  
Mapping (LvL 22)  
Negotiation (LvL 17) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 13)  
Physical Durability (LvL 55)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 24)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 23)  
Teaching (LvL 23)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 47)  
Trapping (LvL 52)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 79)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **, **Taurens**,**Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , Lizardmen, Earth Fairy, Orc, Elf, Drakken

**Warrior Count:** 755

**Total: **4899

**Levy from Vassals:  
1,855**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 2,311**  
regionalPower**: 4.2

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.

**Vassal (Tribes, Clan, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 2)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 19)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 26)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)  
**Shashan** Sorrhl-Ye City (regionalPower: 1)  
**Kragnok Scorchscale** \- Scorchscale Clan (clanPower: 16)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 4.2)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +890 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 15)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 15)  
**Duchy of Nanamos -700 (Extremely Hostile)** (regionalPower: 85)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 7.6)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set ****  
Contract Emblem for the County of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Stress Relief (49/100)**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*New Nations named/Added! Thanks to all of those people who've given me suggestions, admission, and OC's ... in a PERSONAL MESSAGE.

Laguz Alliance by  
Government: Hierarchical Tribal Confederacy  
Religion: Shamanism  
Races: Laguz (Magically mutated, animal-shapeshifting humans)  
Neighbors: Black Drakken Flight Hegemony, Kingdom of Neutonia, Zil'Ma'Shu'Nodia Kingdom, Frankish Merchant Republic

Amazonian Tri-State by Kejmur  
States: Ssakra (Lamia), Aartoka (Harpie), Boanda (Human)  
Government:  
Religions: Totemism, Regional Minor Godesses (mostly connected to each spiecies living in each state), Slavery and Matriarchal Deities  
Races: Llamias, Harpies, Female Humans  
Neighbors: Terrak Nomad Wasteland (War)

Terrak Nomad Wasteland by Kejmur  
Government: Confederate Nomadic tribes  
Religions: Totemism, Shamanism, Nature Gods  
Races: Humans, Centaurs, Beastkin, Halfings, Half-Orcs, Forest Elves  
Neighbors: Amazonian Tri-State(War)

* * *

*About the population growth. While it is true that monsters grow fast, there are some differences. First of all, fairies and imps make up a third of the population. This means that third of the population _are not breeding like rabbits_. This is because fairies and imps are natural-born creatures rather than organic. They "give birth" to each other by being next to each other, but this pace is slow. Imagine spores, flowers, and fungus. Kind of like that. Then you have True Races and Races that do not breed like crazy. Arakkoa, onis, humans, Vashta, Draenei, Dwarves, and etc. This really leaves only kobolds and trolls. Also please remember that it has been one year, not a decade.

* * *

*It seems that most of my readers enjoy the "Interesting News around the World." I'm glad. I added that section because I wanted to give more life to this world that I had created and spent about 2 hours every day since its conception.


	65. Chapter 65

_**The Annoyance Arc**_

* * *

**Year 1 + Day 360:  
**

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing for the past 4 days.

No scouts, no ambushers, and definitely no enemies.

Bloody fucking nothing.

At least the boredom is keeping my stress at bay.

But in this boredom, I got to know more about Tiana's brothers. Both of them were full-blooded arakkoans, which made the unique existence for the sole fact that _they were the only arakkoan S-rankers._ The older of the two was an Archmage and the younger a Master Swordsman. They both had red and white feathers and being the twins they are, it was hard to tell who was Roc and who was Rol.

Roc and Rol.

Shirou laughed his ass off when he heard that. I didn't quite get it.

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 1:**

We set up camp and then had a birthday party for myself.

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 4:**

Finally!

Our scouts found a small army of roughly a thousand men burning down a village for resources. Christopher was definitely not happy.

To show off a bit, I suggested that only my warriors and Iskan be sent to take care of the problem. Christopher grudgingly accepted.

400 of my warriors set themselves up on a hill and loudly taunted the shit out of the 1,000 M'Arkan raiders. Needless to say, the 1,000 saw the 400, laughed at their number, and charged.

What happened afterward was a massacre.

When the 1,000 charged forth with very few archers in the back firing arrows -which was a bad idea because my troops were on the high ground, and thus harder to hit-, Iskan employed the very tactic that wiped out the second Shkifield army at the base of the valley that my city stood on.

Except this time, all of the archers had [Rapid Fire] on my troop's side. Some of them were even Class 2 archers like [Spear Archers] and [Arcane Archers].

When the 1,000 M'Arkan troops made half way up the hills on what they assumed to be a semi-fortified position, they were met with a hail of arrows.

Of the 400, 200 were Archer class main warriors.

200 Archer classes. All of them possessed the [Rapid Fire], a skill that allowed one to fire 10 arrows in 1 second.

200 x 10?

2,000 per _second_?

2,000 vs 1,000?

It was hell for the M'Arkan soldiers. 200 Archer classes firing in one coordinated fire with few odd spears, arcane arrows, and bomb arrows mixed in there.

The might of 200 C-rank _soldiers_, not adventurers. The might of a discipline combined with power.

The 400 trashed the 1,000 so hard and so fast that it was shocking. It wasn't funny or glorious. It was fucking pitiful.

The arrows rained down without mercy and found the exposed heads of the soldiers. They were also charging up the hill in a semi-cluster formation, giving the archers more targets, even if they missed. Even the M'Arkan archers in the back were not spared.

When the arrows struck, the entirety of the M'Arkan's 1,000 troops went down in a snap as if the strings of all men and women in the army had been severed at the same time. The few that did survive were put to death with precision accuracy shots from the archers once more.

The battle took only 1 minute, and that was because the enemies had been charging through the distance between the village and the hill and up the hill for 40 seconds.

Officially, excluding the S-rankers, my army had just shown themselves to be the most powerful force out there right now.

And we, and I mean Christopher and I, were grinning.

No survivor here also meant that our force was basically an unknown too.

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 6:**

This time, we found the main M'Arkan army. This was expected because an army of 1,000 was not going to be doing much away from its main force. It was too small to effectively fight against any other force that it might come against it when the average independent army size was around 2,000 to 3,000.

Now, we found them less than a kilometer away from us.

To our surprise though, the Count of M'Arkan was personally leading this army of 7,000 along with his 4 S-rankers.

Yes, 4.

This was why it was surprising.

One of the villagers saw us and ran with all his might. He slid before us in a seiza and slammed his head to the ground begging us to help one of their own, the S-ranker who had been forced to fight for M'Arkan army.

The Count of M'Arkan had _attacked _the home village of the 5th S-ranker.

How stupid could he be?!

An S-ranker was worth more than a healer! They were the jewels in this world, the crystallization of their respect classes, jobs, and lifestyles.

What was more surprising was that there was a second army here as well holding another color.

It was that of Somberan Republic.

While the armies were busy fighting each other, the S-rankers were fighting each other. Namely, a 4-to-1 battle.

Ping!

**[New Quest: Save the Damsel... I think]**

**Requirement:**

***Help S-ranker Aquitia Karling defeat the tyrant M'Arkan!**

**Failure:**

***Loss of troops and prestige**

**Bonus Requirement:**

***Kill M'Arkan right here, right now!**

**Reward:**

***+2,000 Prestige **  
***Potential to recruit Aquitia Karling**  
***Bonus: + End to M'Arkan Rebellion**  
***Bonus: + 1,000 Prestige**  
***Bonus: + Skill [King Slayer]**

I pressed on the skill.

**[King Slayer (LvL 0)**  
_My job? Regicide. Your job? Meeting your Maker._  
***Effect: +50% Boost to all personal buffs and skills when fighting a title holder.**  
***Effect: +100% Prestige gain for defeating or killing title holders.**  
***Effect: +100 Opinion gain with defeated title holder's rivals and enemies.]**

...If not for the alliance of the S-ranker, then I would take this quest for the sake of this new skill.

I pressed yes.

"Iskan, Candy."

"Yes, sir?" Iskan asked.

"I put you two in charge of my forces. Listen to Christopher, but you are ultimately the generals in this battle, alright?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Shirou."

"I know," he said as he stood by my side. "Our course of action?"

"Defeating those S-rankers, of course," I grinned.

Brothers of Tiana, Roc and Rol, jogged over to us. "Roc," I said to the older arakkoan. "You'll be much more helpful with the army. I also don't see any mages among the S-rankers of M'Arkan, so this should be fairly easy."

Roc raised an eyebrow. "Are you mad? S-rankers? Easy?"

Rol laughed (or cawed). "I told you, brother! This guy is insanely hilarious. Or hilariously insane."

I rolled my eyes. "So you'll leave your little sister with that lecherous duke alone?" I said with a bit of a lie.

"Lecherous?" Roc glared.

"Christopher is known to ... oh, I don't know, grab butts and steal kisses. You sure you want to leave him in the battlefield with your _little sister_?"

Roc froze before jogging right back.

Rol just rolled his eyes.

"What about you?" I asked him.

"I know that's a lie," Rol replied with a grin. "But for Roc, a possibility is a probability."

"He's paranoid?"

"Yup. Anyway, let's get over there and start fighting," Roc said as he pulled out two scimitars from their sheathes.

I nodded. "Shirou, give us cover fire!" I shouted as I ran towards the battle. As I ran, I pulled out my Ironwood Armor Set and donned them on. The white and black steel armor set -which Shirou called Ironwood version of Stromgarde Defenders(all references were lost on me)- appeared over me. The helmet was not there, because I actually broke that.

Still, I was now a charging blur of black and white.

Then when I was sufficiently away from Shirou and the rest, I poured 50 units of mana into my legs and shot off into the sky. Shriou called it "rocket-jumping," because in essence, I was not only reinforcing my legs, but also causing a minor explosion beneath my feet.

* * *

Shirou sighed as he watched Ruto recklessly charge into the battlefield with absolutely no regard for subtlety.

But he had a job to do.

He knew that Rol was watching him, but he didn't care.

He projected his black bow. "Really, Ruto, you should give me some more warnings," he muttered as he projected Caladbolg.

With a moment of observation, he aimed it a bit behind the knight who was constantly pushing S-rank defender.

He had to time this well, because the S-ranker in need was really close to the enemies.

He nooked it, drew it back, and let it loose.

Within a single second, the twisted sword zipped through the air and exploded.

* * *

Aquitia knew that this was to be her graveyard. Even with the help of the Somberan Republic, this battle was already decided.

There was no way she could fight off 4 S-rankers by herself, even if she was the strongest of the five.

Then she saw something in the corner of her eyes.

Something blazing and barreling through air towards the loose group of S-rankers she's fighting.

And she could feel the power. It was travelling fast too.

"Fuck it!" she shouted before activating her emergency teleport, her last ditch effort for survival.

The knight shouted at her to come back, but he too saw the thing come.

He took a defensive stance and -!

Hell.

Aquitia had pushed herself nearly a hundred meters away from the knight's location, and she was an explosion that only the Archmage King of Volreek Empire could make.

The explosion burst out in a purple and red explosion that devoured the landscape with no issue. Grass within 10 meters of the explosion's edge burned away to a crisp.

The air superheated itself to a suffocating degree even where she stood.

Ground rippled like water, and she found herself tumbling and shrieking in panic.

Smoke formed a giant ring above the explosion.

Then it imploded.

If the explosion was a hot nightmare, the implosion was a struggling nightmare.

Aquitia immediately latched down to the ground and activated her Mana Chains to make sure she didn't fly into the center of that implosion.

Finally, it stopped.

Her mind, though, hadn't.

The explosion was something she could never make, and she was a S-ranker. Last time she had seen something like that was when she saw the Archmage King of Volreek Empire personally demonstrate the might of magic during her time at Volreek Imperial Magic Academy. Only he and very few others, including her own master, exceeded this level of power.

If any one of those SS-level rankers and higher were fighting here...

She had no word for it. She laid there on the ground trembling with all her spells dispelled. She hoped to God that whatever made that explosion was her ally, because if that was the enemy, there was no surviving this battle, not with her emergency teleport inactive.

* * *

I was a juggernaut, and I knew it.

It was time for me to show off.

I cleared through the smokes with ease and saw the knight. 'So he used a skill of some kind to survive the blast, huh!'

"Daddy's here!" I roared just as I was about to land on top of the knight S-ranker.

ReinforcementMercilessExecutionChargingPiercingBlowCrushingBlowDoubleStrikeRapidFire!

A 6 skill chain attack.

Reinforcement to harden my body, but particularly my fists.

Merciless Execution was a skill that increased damage output of one attack by 500%. Of course, it had a downside; cooldown was 20 minutes long and subsequent usage in battle halved its effect.

Charging to increase my kinetic energy, which boosted my "stomping" fall damage.

Piercing Blow for critical strike and armor piercing.

Crushing Blow for same reason.

Double Strike to attack twice. With Merciless Execution, it meant that technically, since Double Strike was a skill, it applied to both of my

Rapid Fire. Now, this skill was hax. The skill allowed for 10 consecutive attacks in one second. However! Despite being an archer kill, it never said _anything _about only arrows being those attacks. It only stated in its Effect that it allowed for 10 consecutive attacks in one second.

And it was a single skill. As far as Mericless Execution was concerned, this entire skill chain was one attack, even if I was striking twenty times in the single second I was going to land my attack.

Gamer, I love you!

* * *

Aquitia saw a figure flying into the smoke.

'Poor soul,' she thought pitifully. 'Wonder who threw h-.'

"DADDY's HERE!"

Then a squelch.

Her eyes widened as the smoke cleared.

That squelch hadn't been the poor soul landing to his death.

That squelch had been the death of the S-rank knight.

His entire armor, the priceless mithril, was flattened to a pancake, and the knight inside the armor had his entire chest pushed out like a jam.

The knight, despite being already dead, stood there for a second, his shield on the ground.

Then he fell over.

"HOOOYEAAAAA!" the figure roared.

Aquitia trembled.

Pure Mithril Armor had been dented to the point of being _flat_. Whoever this guy was too strong for her to take on; she couldn't even scratch the armor!

* * *

"Hnn."

I raised my arm just in time to block a hammer.

The force of the strike cratered the ground underneath us.

My STR of three thousand kept the hammer there despite the struggle of the warrior behind it.

"H-How are you just holding my hammer there with one hand?!" the S-ranker ... uhh.

'[Observe],' I thought as I took a quick look at the class.

S-ranker Juggernaut -that was a class, neat!- stood there, struggling to push.

Man, were S-rankers this easy? Did I get my hopes up?

"HOOO!" the Juggernaut shouted.

I raised an eyebrow as the force he exerted tripled on the spot.

"Impressive!" I grinned. "[Double Strike]!"

My free left hand struck twice.

The Juggernaut took the blow with only one broken nose.

"Impressive, impressive!" I cackled. "Finally! Someone that's on my level!"

I let loose.

CrushingBlowDoubleStrikeRapidFire!

He tanked it all. His HP dropped from ... holy shit.

**"?" [3,091/3,905]**  
**LvL 281**

"He has to be the Troll King!" the Juggernaut shouted to his remaining two comrades. "Don't underestimate him!"

I looked over him.

The other two were far behind this guy. One wore robes and the other wore ... furs. That's all I could say.

The robe guy pulled out a staff-, oh, he was a mage!

And let loose about a hundred arcane arrows.

I reinforced my leg and jumped away. My previous position was riddled with explosion.

To my shock, the Juggernaut jumped out of the smoke with his hammer drawn back.

"[Hammer Time]!"

And he struck me.

Then I was flying away.

My HP decreased by 636.

"Woohoo!" I let out a laugh as I sailed over the fighting Somberan and M'Arkan armies. I landed on the other side and jumped right back.

* * *

Shirou facepalmed. "That idiot," he muttered before firing off one more Caladbolg, this time, at the mage.

Rol just stood there.

'I think we broke him.'

Another mini-nuke rippled out.

* * *

Aquitia was gawking too.

Jarus was a S-ranking Juggernaut, and this-this Troll King just took the man's attack with one hand.

One hand!

Who the fuck were these people!?

* * *

Rol was having a mental breakdown.

* * *

Truthfully speaking, everyone had stopped fighting.

They were staring at the goddamned, crazy, and scary S-rankers fight.

As far as everyone non-S-rankers were concerned, this was the fight of the Gods.

Explosion the size of a small hamlet? People flying and laughing it off?

MITHRIL ARMOR DENTING TO A PANCAKE?!

They were all just staring with their brain doing their best to restart.

* * *

"Come here, boy!" I shouted.

Was that fear I saw on the Juggernaut's face?

PiercingStrikeCrushingBlowDoubleStrikeRapidFire!

This time, it was the Juggernaut who went flying.

Just as he flew over his two S-ranker comrades, another one of Shirou's Caladbolg struck there and exploded.

"Oh, good timing," I muttered.

But those three were still alive. I knew that. I could still see their presence in the [Sonar], if a bit hazy.

"I'm not done with you yet!" I shouted as I charged straight into the dust cloud.

* * *

He tumbled through the explosion and the air.

Jarus was scared.

Someone had survived his ultimate move, [Hammer Time]. It was a move that he had used to slay Elemental Lords with. It was a move he had used to threaten kingdoms into giving into his demands.

Someone had survived it.

He was scared shitless.

He already knew that if he received another half a dozen strikes like the one that sent him flying, he was going to die.

"OH SHIT~!" he roared as he used [Hammer Time] again just as the Troll King burst out of the cloud with his fist drawn back.

* * *

'Oh shit,' I thought as I saw him about to use that attack again. 'I'm actually going to die if I get hit by that.'

* * *

**Omake:**

Vincent was a good soldier.

He was also a good man.

He knew that what his liege lord was doing was bad. So Vincent killed his own commander, who was keen on raping the village girls, and moved to join Somberan Republic Army. The latter army was confused, but they just shrugged it off. It wasn't the first time something like this happened.

Then a shockwave burst through the entire battlefield.

Everyone looked towards it.

There, they saw gods in mortal forms fighting in abandon.

Explosions that charred the grounds for dozens of meters. Explosion so big, a village could be devoured by it.

Then the implosion.

Vincent fell to the ground and stabbed his sword into it.

His body swerved around his grip on the sword. The air pulled at him. And he held on to his lifeline with all he had.

He saw a soldier, a decent man, from M'Arkan army let his grip loose. He saw that soldier make eye-contact with him as he was swallowed by the implosion.

He was cooked instantly even before he neared the explosion site. Vincent saw the man's skin brown like a well-done steak.

Then when that ... that troll and S-ranker clashed, he saw the ground crater. He saw the _ease _of which the troll smashed into Jarus the Juggernaut. When the troll was sent flying in retaliation, he just laughed it off, landed on the ground, and flew right back with even greater speed.

He ran after he saw and heard that.

This was not his fight.

Another great explosion rung in the back ground

This was not h_is fig**ht.**_

He stabbed his sword into the ground, knowing what was to come. The air pulled at him.

This was n_ot his** fight.**_

He was a goddamn normal man!

This _was not **his fight.**_

When the implosion was done for, he pulled his sword out and ran again.

_This was **not his fight!**_

Goddamn it, why did he leave his calm home and steady job for this shit?!

**_This was not his fight!_**

What Vincent didn't know was that he was not the only one to flee at the sight of this. Mercenaries from all armies fled without hesitation. Perhaps the leaders of the armies should have expected it. After all,

Only the Green Falcons, hired by Christopher Zepolya, would remain to see the end of the battle.

* * *

**Interesting News around the World**  
**(Ruto's Year 2 + Day 6):**

*Tyronia and Kingdom of Iop'Arge signed a peace treaty, acknowledging Iop'Arge's victory and the subsequent annexation of the border provinces to Iop'Arge.

*Somberas and Kingdom of Iop'Arge signed a peace treaty, acknowledging Iop'Arge's victory and the subsequent annexation of the border provinces to Iop'Arge.

*With peace treaty signed with the new juggernaut Iop'Arge, Tyronia and Somberas ... signed a peace treaty, returning the borders to semi-past locations. Then they attacked Blue Fire Drakken Flight together. Their simultaneous attack surprised the stretched thin forces of the Blue Fire Flight. The said flight lost 60% of all territorial gains they made in the war, but are now holding steady. This was made possible by the fact that despite being outnumbered 1.5 to 1, the Blue Fire Flight had one trump card: its ancient drakkens. Towering at 70 meters, these giants of the battlefield breathe fire that reach over half a kilometer. Even the war elephants of the Tyronia are no match to these monsters. Only A- and S-rankers were a match.

*Our spies within Tyronia hint that their government was to soon sign a peace treaty with the Blue Fire Flight. This is due to the fact that Tyronia has less than two thousand troops now.

*Uxukhan Khanate was able to recover its lucrative North Slave Trade route from Tecari Duchy, allowing them to refill their treasury a bit.

*There was a meteor shower in eastern Volreek Empire. Prophets declared that the end was nigh.

*Kingdom of Neutonia was discovered to be funding pirates that have been raiding all of its neighbor's coasts, including their own ally, Norrure Kingdom. Diplomacy is not looking good for them.

*King and Queen of Iop'Arge has declared that there shall no longer be slavery in their nation. This has earned the pair of royals many complaints and ires of the local nobility. Not only that, merchants are also not happy. This is especially so because one of the major branches of the North Slave Route runs through the Kingdom of Iop'Arge.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake End)**

**(Arc End)**

**(Extra information beneath Char Info and Factions)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the wayyy bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 1, Day 290:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 143  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 168.5(+922) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1849(1386.75(SGMII))  
DEX: 325  
AGI: 299  
END: 686  
INT: 237  
WIS: 257  
CHA: 201  
Unused Points: 11**

**Spirit: 39  
Magic: 25  
Power: 40**

**Control: 107  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): ? +2,366  
Infamy: +5,661**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,** Stressed, **Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 7)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Berserker (LvL 11)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 5)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 10)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 6)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 91) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 66)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 28)  
Reinforcement (LvL 49)  
****Sonar (LvL 44)  
Time Decel (LvL 10)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 32)**x**  
Archery (LvL 37)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 25)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 34)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 39)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 69)**x**  
Charging (LvL 24)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 51) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 40)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 40)**  
**Fireball (LvL 16)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 14)  
Intimidation (LvL 51)  
Language (LvL 7): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 39)  
Mapping (LvL 22)  
Negotiation (LvL 17) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 13)  
Physical Durability (LvL 55)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 24)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 23)  
Teaching (LvL 23)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 47)  
Trapping (LvL 52)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 79)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **, **Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , Lizardmen, Earth Fairy, Orc, Elf, Drakken

**Warrior Count:** 755

**Total: **4899

**Levy from Vassals:  
1,855**

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 2,311**  
regionalPower**: 4.2

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.

**Vassal (Tribes, Clan, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 2)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 19)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 26)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)  
**Shashan** Sorrhl-Ye City (regionalPower: 1)  
**Kragnok Scorchscale** \- Scorchscale Clan (clanPower: 16)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 4.2)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +890 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 15)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 15)  
**Duchy of Nanamos -700 (Extremely Hostile)** (regionalPower: 85)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 7.6)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set ****  
Contract Emblem for the County of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*New Nations named/Added! Thanks to all of those people who've given me suggestions, admission, and OC's ... in a PERSONAL MESSAGE.

Also, I am now no longer accepting empires. Kingdoms, duchies, counties, and city-states. Baronies and theocracies are also welcome.

Iska Isles Meritocracy by Alucard Belling  
Government:Meritocracy  
Religions: Trisudeious (Worship of the Triad Gods)  
Races:Human, merfolk, beastkin, giants  
Neighbors: They are in the middle of a fucking ocean. What neighbors?

Kingdom of Shellwraith by SakuranoBaka  
Government: Absolute Monarchy  
Religion: Polytheistic (no state-religion)  
Races: Humans, onis, tauren, draenei, beastkin  
Neighbors: Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi, Hlynovukos Grand Duchy

Titular Principality of the Red Drakken Flight by dranakka  
Government: duel hierarchical caste system  
Religion: Red War God, Grakoshu(ancient drakken god of slavery, lust, war, and mayhem), and Blood King(a Canterrius god of mercy and peace)  
Races: Drakken, Half-breed Drakken, and various others.  
Neighbors: Canterrius Empire, Akarui, Haru, Nikkou

* * *

*Engima: Thank you for actually pointing out where the error was.

*This chapter had more word for the actual story than the previous one.

*For the first time, a story of mine has reached the 200k word count. By the time this story is done, it'll have several million word count.


	66. Chapter 66

_**The Annoyance Arc**_

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 6(Continued):  
**

I was in midair. The best I could do mitigate the damage.

Instead of aiming for the Juggernaut's head, I aimed it at the hammer head that was coming towards me.

The hammer shattered instantly from the damage strain of my 4 skill chain attack.

I grinned.

"Well," I said as I caught up to him in midair. "You don't have a weapon anymore!"

"Shit!"

I grabbed him by the head and placed my feet on his chest just as we landed.

The sound of crunching bones reverberated and dirt flew up into the air.

**"?" [2,482/3,095]**

"You are tough, I'll give you that!" I shouted as we came to a stop and let loose another 4 skill chain attack on the Juggernaut's face.

When I moved to perform a third skill chain, he grabbed my arm and tossed me away.

I flipped through the air and landed on my feet, albeit with less grace than what Candy could've managed.

Speaking of Candy, I wondered how she and the others were doing.

I saw the Juggernaut get back up with a snarl on his face.

"That's it, keep on coming!" I cackled gleefully as I used Fireball to light my hands on fire. My Reinforcement of my hands kept the fires from burning myself.

"You are one annoying son of a bitch!" Juggernaut roared right back as I pulled out a dagger from within his ... crotch, ew...

* * *

Candy, Iskan, Christopher, Roc, and Tiana fought hard.

The short lull in which all of the small soldiers gawked at the sight of the battle between the S-rankers had passed.

To the surprise of the mentioned individuals, all of the mercenary bands but the Green Falcon had fled the scene.

When Christopher asked the captain of the band why he didn't flee, the answer was simple.

"Not our first time fighting S-rankers."

With that, the Ironwood and Transyl-Carpathi army smashed into now-half-strength M'Arkan army's rear.

* * *

I grunted.

It seems that I was not the only one with two classes.

It had been my blunder in researching my enemy in the short time I had before we charged in.

**[Juras Managot **  
**LvL 281  
Age: 36 years old**

**Race: Pure Human**

**HP: [2,482/3,095]  
****MP: ?**

**Class: ****Warrior - Shield Tank - Juggernaut**  
**Class: Mesmer**

**STR: 903**  
**END: 2,301**  
**AGI: 68**  
**DEX: 125**  
**INT: 111**  
**WIS: 240**  
**CHA: 57**

**Traits:**  
**Quick, Wroth, Strong, Paranoid, Vulgar, Lustful, Adventurer, S-rank, Bloodthirsty]**

A Mesmer. I had never encountered that class, and I found out why.

They were masters of disguise and illusions.

And this fucking "Warrior" was using illusions to help himself in battle.

"[Shadow Step]!" Juras exclaimed before he disappeared.

I grunted as I felt him stab me in the back, but it dug in no more than an inch.

If it wasn't for my [Physical Durability], I would've died already!

I slammed my right foot to the ground. "[Mountain Killer]!"

Earthen and rocky spires and spikes shot up from the ground around in a circle, and Juggernaut, despite his low AGI, was able to dodge my attack with only having his left arm pierced by the rock spires.

"How the hell are you a fucking archmage and a demon warrior?!" Jarus shouted. "Earth magic, fire magic, body enhancement, and that ridiculous strength! How did you achieve this much?!"

"Ha?" I uttered. "What the hell are you talking about? I'm no archmage or a demon warrior. I'm a _Destroyer_!"

With that, I stomped down with my left leg just as I used [Charge].

Instead of using [Mountain Killer] to attack, I used it to boost my Charge speed.

As the dulled spike rose up from beneath my feet, I [Charged] off of it.

PiercingStrikeCrushingBlowDoubleStrikeRapidFire!

I smashed into Juggernaut's chest and sent him flying.

"Is that all you've got?!"

Normally at this stage, I would be in my Berserk mode, but thanks to my class, I enjoyed all the benefits of it without actually going into it.

Juggernaut tumbled on the ground before he got back up.

Yup, he was a tough bastard through and through. I just did 720 damage when I normally would have done ... Let's see 400x1.5x2x2x10 = 24,000.

So the damage that went through to him was 3%.

Holy shit. Was it something that had to do with his END? He was tanking damage that would've wiped out a company in one hit (since average HP of a soldier seemed to be 250).

"Man, you don't go down easily. But it's actually boring now."

After his hammer broke and he had rely on the tiny dagger he now held, he did next to no damage. There was no more danger, no more ... thrill.

"Che," I muttered.

Ping!

**[Quest Complete! Stress Relief!]**

... The fuck? Why would you come up now?

Something slammed into my face and exploded.

I growled as the smoke cleared.

It was the goddamn mage. He was missing his right arm and most of his body was burned. Hell, he was naked, but he was alive.

"Oh ho," I said before hauling Fireballs using [Rapid Fire].

The spot the S-rank mage burned up along with the mage.

"Too easy, too easy," I taunted with a gleeful grin. "If this everything a S-ranker can throw at me? Is this the end of the line for you?"

Well, technically speaking, it wasn't easy. The single [Hammer Time] this guy did took out more than half of my HP. That was not easy by any means.

Jarus glared at me then -!

he dropped the knife, knelt down, and put his hands up.

"I surrender. I have no way to defeat an SS-ranker."

I stared at him incredulously. "Wait, seriously? That was the end?" I groaned before facepalming. My hand slowly slid down before I looked around. "...Where's that last S-ranker?"

* * *

The said S-ranker was about 2 kilometers away. He ran away a long time ago.

* * *

"Bah," I muttered as I turned around. I reinforced my throat and shouted. "All of the S-rankers of M'Arkan are dead, gone, or in my custody! This battle is over! Surrender now, Count of M'Arkan!" I shouted.

My voice vibrated throughout the battlefield.

The fighting died down in a manner of half a minute, and the soldiers of M'Arkan all began to lay their arms down.

The M'Arkan Rebellion was finished.

'Man, what an anticlimatic end,' I thought to myself. It was annoying.

Ping!

**[Quest Complete! REscue the Damsel in Distress ... I think.] **

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 8:**

The Count of M'Arkan was a thin man. Barely tall enough to not be considered short, he was also a lunatic.

As he was brought before Christopher and I in our tents by Christopher's soldiers, he raved and screamed.

Christopher revoked his title on the spot, confiscated the former count's wealth, and banished him.

For my participation and the defeat of 4 S-rankers, Christopher gave me the rights to first loot, prisoner, and rights.

I took Jarus the Juggernaut and the pancaked mithril armor set.

As for Aquitia Karling, she was considered to be a felon as well because however short it may have been, she worked for M'Arkan. I used the rights Christopher granted me to grant her a pardon, which Christopher allowed. Both of us knew that she had been forced to fight for M'Arkan, but her status as a S-ranker gave Christopher no room for forgiveness. By law, a powerful individual that joins a traitor in a rebellion was to be either banished or executed.

Christopher thanked me for allowing himself to pardon Aquitia.

I told him it wasn't much.

As for Somberan Army...

We agreed to return their territories that M'Arkan might have conquered, but we were keeping Sukkil. That was fine with the general. The mere fact that his army of 4,000 with only two dozen B-rankers had survived and won was a reward in and of itself.

The commander was a good man.

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 9:**

It was time to leave.

My warriors, only three had died, and the rest of my entourage were about to leave when a woman jumped in front of me. "WAIT!" she shrieked as she gasped for air.

"...Well, I'm waiting."

"Give this old woman ... some time ... to breath."

"...Well?"

She drew in a deep breath and pulled herself up.

[Observe],' I intoned.

**[Aquitia Karling**  
**LvL 433**  
**Age: 77 years old**

**Class: Mage - Rune Mage - Rune Archmage  
Class: Mage - Astrologist - Grand Astrologist**

**Race: Human(87.5% Human, 12.5% elf)**

**HP: 277**  
**MP: 51,000**

**STR: 47**  
**END: 103**  
**AGI: 95**  
**DEX: 411**  
**INT: 326**  
**WIS: 499**  
**CHA: 160**

**Traits:**  
**Curious, Temperate, Diligent, Patient, Adventurer, Researcher, Archmage, S-rank, Mana Recycling, Grand Mana Efficiency]**

Holy shit -I'm saying that a lot-, fifty one thousand MP in reserve.

That was _insane_. Not even Senna had that much.

For a 77 year old hag, she looked young. She didn't look teenager young like Candy or Senna, but she definitely didn't look anything over 30. She had tanned skin, brunette, short hair, C-cup size bust, and fit. She also didn't have any illusions or glamours that my [Observe] can tell, so the lack of wrinkles and marks must be an actual lack of them. Perhaps her elf lineage had something to do with it. Other than that, she looked somewhere between plain and above average in beauty.

"Yes?"

"I have a debt to you, you can't just leave like that!"

I raised an eyebrow. "No."

"-need to h-, wait what?"

"No, you don't owe a debt to me. I was helping my ally, Zepolya over there," I said as I pointed to the march of the leaving Zepolyan army. "If you really think there's debt to be had, go after him."

"No, no, no! I know you had me pardoned! That's a debt I need to repay!"

I groaned. "Why are you so insistent, hag?"

She paused. "Hag?!" she growled. "I'll have you know, for a quarter-elf, I am still in my golden era!"

"Well, I don't care about that or your debt. If you want to do something for someone, go do it for Zepolya. Actually, I'll make that an order."

"You can't just order me-"

"I thought you had a debt to me."

She clacked her mouth shut. I scratched my chin a bit before a brilliant idea popped into my head.

"This will be how you repay my debt. Your Duke, Christopher Zepolya, is looking to establish a magical community in his duchy, preferably within his capital city of Pset. If you truly owe me a debt, you will help Christopher build that magical community. You will help him build a magical school, if you must. That is how you will repay my debt."

"Fine!" she shouted and stomped away.

Shirou stared after her.

"What, you like that hag?" I asked him.

He turned and glared at me. "No. It's her name."

"What about it?"

"Karling was the name of a dynasty of rulers from a thousand years ago from my world."

"...Oh."

"Yes, oh."

"Hey, then you can find other people from your world here! That's better than anything I saw of my world!" I congratulated him.

"Senna's from my world."

"...Wait, what?"

"She was my wife from my previous life."

"What...?"

Shirou walked away.

"Shirou, are you serious?"

He just grinned as he walked away.

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 25:**

We made it back without issue. No rain and no mud.

However, we did have a bit of a detour. We ended up spotting a Galburian raiding party deep inside Transyl. Christopher was already too far away to be noted -as I had been travelling at a much slower speed- so I chased after them.

The detour ended up being two full weeks because these raiders were bit better equipped than the other raiders I had faced so far.

They had a single man with a spyglass, and he would alert his party every time we approached. And this was the plains and hills; there was no way for me to catch up to them. I tried to chase after them by myself, but there was also something new with these raiders; instead of being composed of light and heavy infantry with few C-rank mages here and there, this raiding party was completely cavalry.

Yup.

I jumped after them, but in the plains, the horses had the better advantage in terms of speed. After a hundred jumps -when I was so close to catching them-, my legs gave out.

I learned a crucial lesson then; just because reinforcement was not a be-all-do-all. While it provided whatever I reinforced with would gain stronger durability, toughness, and strength, reinforcement's downside was that it reduced performance time.

Without reinforcement, there was no way I could catch up to them too.

So we set up traps and disguised ourselves as a simple villagers crossing the plains in a hurry.

It took nearly a week of consistent acting for the raiders to buy our act and attack us.

Fools.

They ambushed us when we had to go through a forest.

That's where they made the mistake, because by ambushing us in a forest, they had limited their own mobility, something that had kept them safe from my hands for so long.

We counteracted and absolutely demolished the raiders. One or two escaped but the rest were dead.

On the other hand, we now had 100 strong horses.

Yay us.

So here we were, a month since we left for the campaign against M'Arkan. Only 5 dead, and the rest were happy and dandy.

We were immediately greeted by Senna.

"Slavers from the south."

Goddamn it. Do I get to rest?

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 29:**

I learned that over the month that I have been gone, the city had experienced another boom.

This time, it was not a immigration boom but a baby boom. About seven hundred babies came to life in the month that I had been gone from the city.

Once we were inside and eating, though, she dropped the biggest bomb yet.

Senna also learned that she was pregnant with Shirou's baby.

All shit broke loose.

It started with Shirou fainting.

Candy cooing.

Me laughing.

Iskan laughing.

Soon, there were talks of celebration and party. To our surprise, Senna explicitly forbid a celebration with a smile that seemed a bit strained.

To my personal surprise, all of the people -not withstanding her close friends including myself- immediately responded with a "Yes, ma'am!"

Why did they look so scared?

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 33:**

I received a letter from Christopher, in which he thanked me profusely for sending him Aquitia to help the magical development of his city.

'So she did go to him,' I thought as I tossed the letter to the side of the paperwork.

It seemed to me that problems were slowly solving themselves.

Life was good...

"Chief, another slaver raid!"

**[Temper Broken!]**

"GODDAMN IT!"

* * *

**End of the Annoyance Arc**

* * *

**Interesting News around the World**  
**Ruto's Year 2 + Day 40:**

*Kingdom of Galburia has managed to reabsorb smaller rebellions back into its fold. However, Duchy of Nanamos, a little bit more of the Contested zone, Union of Liberty, and the newly minted Grand Council of Adventurers of Galburia. The Grand Council was actually able to take a chunk of Kalevania Kingdom and Tyrnoian territory after gaining the alliance of 10 S-rankers, whom all of the Council members were related to.

*Tyronia has officially signed a peace treaty with Blue Fire Drakken Flight, acknowledging its losses and the subsequent annexation of provinces adjacent to the flight's former borders. On the other hand, this has caused the Somberas Republic to fight the might of the Blue Fire Drakken Flight alone. 4,000 soldiers and 50 Ancient Drakkens of the Blue Fire Drakken Flight against a mere 5,000, a fifth of which were dealing with M'Arkan invasion up north and are only halfway to the next battlefield.

*Uxukhan Khanate signed a "white peace" peace treaty, in which all borders are returned to where it was before the war.

*The two Kerman rebellions acknowledged each other as now being two separate movements.

*Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire has absorbed one of its vassals to the southeast. With this absorption, they have gained new manpower and funds to continue their war against the rebels. However, their own leaders know that this is merely their last attempt at keeping the western provinces in their grasp. If this fails, they would have no choice but to abandon their claim and sovereignty there.

*Kingdom of Iop'Arge is finally at peace. The first thing the royal couple did was to pass a law stating that no one individual could hold more than three titles, including themselves. This was obviously a move to severely limit the power of the nobles. They then circumvented this law by giving each other 3 titles each, controlling half of the entire kingdom.

*Shellwraith Kingdom had declared a holy war upon its eastern neighbor, the Chiefdom of Yylshuwan. The former had the state religion of Path of Light while the latter held Christianity as their dominant religion.

*One of the 100 Great Nobles of the Canterrius Empire took the 4th princess of the Volreek Empire as his bride. This has created a Non-Aggression Pact between the two empires.

*A tribe of the Terrack Nomad Wasteland engaged in a brutal skirmish with one of the patrols of the Amazonian Tri-State. The Amazonian patrol suffered severe loss in the ambush.

*Gold Peak Mountain Fortress Kingdom, a dwarvish kingdom east of the Theocratic Empire of the Golden Sun, has discovered a large goblin nest, and are now locked in a brutal war. It has been 4 days since the war began and there are already three thousand casualties from the dwarven side.

* * *

**A little history on...**

**Birth of Canterrius Empire**

As the ninth largest empire in the known world, how exactly did Canterrius Empire come to be?

For one to understand the beginning of the Canterrius Empire, one must first understand the Devastation that occurred 13,000 years ago. Yes, the very Devastation that caused the creation of a whole new ocean where there once used to be the center of a continent. The very place that we now know as the Great Devastation Sea.

The Devastation was a cataclysmic event caused by what we can only describe as War of the Gods. It was called so not because gods were involved in this war but because of the sheer empires involved. The long forgotten empires of Sandricol, Volsham, Renasuvo, and such. The ones that we only have names of. In this great war that lasted a century, one man decided that life was just not worth it anymore. So he gathered like minded people and created a bomb that would destroy the world.

Of course, as things are, the known world at the time for those empires was pretty small compared to what we now know. Hell, they only had rumors about an "endless" desert. Of course, I am referring to the Endless Invols Desert to our great Volreek Empire's far north.

And they set this bomb off.

The destruction caused by the bomb, however, was great. It was meant to destroy the world, after all. Records exist within Caladrian Imperial Library that have drawing of the destruction that it caused from Caladrian point of view.

The picture in question has a huge explosion rippling out from a place far beyond the horizon. An explosion so big and so powerful that they saw nothing but the explosion for the next 5 weeks. The sky was red and yellow for 5 straight weeks. No night, just light.

where does the Canterrius Empire come in this?

Canterrius Empire was then a colony of the Sandricol United Empire. A small colony of barely 20,000 people.

Yes, the start of the Canterrius Empire that we know today are those 20,000 people. These 20,000 people are the forefathers of those we now know as the Great 100 Noble Lords of the Canterrius Empire, the hereditary titles that are still passed down to this day (except now there are only 68 Noble Lords left).

So how did these 20,000 people become an empire?

Technology. To be more specific, these people possessed the knowledge of forging steel, of architecture that far surpassed wooden huts, of arcane knowledge that far surpassed the meager strengths of local shamans and magicians, and of discipline that no tribal chiefs could muster.

It was a fight essentially between a fully armored knight of medieval ages and a caveman with a stone spear.

They used this advantage very well. They struck hard and fast. They conquered large swaths of land. It wasn't until the Canterrius Empire possessed fifth of its current territories that it ran into problems with its expansion.

Nevertheless, this was how the Canterrius Empire began.

Just like their national symbol, the phoenix.

They were the remnants of once mighty empire, and they rose up to make their heritage great once more.

* * *

**Ranking System of Adventurers:**

Now it is well known that there are 4 ranks. C, B, A, and S. C-rankers are the most abundant. While they are not powerful, their above average skill, class, and number makes them a formidable enemy. B-rankers are the second most abundant. They are much stronger than an average C-ranker. A-rankers are the second least abundant. If a nation has the alliance of one S or SS ranker, then it is said that their entire military power boosts itself up.

It is the S-rank, however, that stands apart from the rest.

It takes 10 C-rankers to beat a B-ranker.

It takes 25 B-rankers to beat a A-ranker.

It takes 20 A-rankers to beat an S-ranker.

But there is a catch! Within the S-rank, there are 6 Subranks. These are, from lowest to highest: S, SS, SSS, SIV, Strategic, and God.

It takes 5 S to beat an SS.

10 SS to beat an SSS.

50 SSS to beat an SIV.

No one touches Strategic and God except their own kind. A battle between these monsters are said to wipe out cities and topple nations.

There are currently 40 or so Strategic and God S-rankers that calls Sector 3-2 of Andalusia their home.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Arc End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 2 + Day 40:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 145  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 168.5(+922) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1849(1386.75(SGMII))  
DEX: 335  
AGI: 300  
END: 686  
INT: 237  
WIS: 260  
CHA: 204  
Unused Points: 29**

**Spirit: 40  
Magic: 25  
Power: 41**

**Control: 107  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): ? + 5,366  
Infamy: +5,979**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,** Stressed, **Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 7)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Berserker (LvL 11)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 5)  
King Slayer (LvL 1)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 10)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 6)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 91) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 66)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 28)  
Reinforcement (LvL 49)  
****Sonar (LvL 44)  
Time Decel (LvL 10)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 32)**x**  
Archery (LvL 37)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 25)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 34)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 39)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 69)**x**  
Charging (LvL 24)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 51) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 40)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 40)**  
**Fireball (LvL 16)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 14)  
Intimidation (LvL 51)  
Language (LvL 7): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 39)  
Mapping (LvL 22)  
Negotiation (LvL 17) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 13)  
Physical Durability (LvL 55)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 24)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 23)  
Teaching (LvL 23)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 47)  
Trapping (LvL 52)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 79)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **, **Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , Lizardmen, Earth Fairy, Orc, Elf, Drakken

**Warrior Count:** 769

**Total: **5,627

**Levy from Vassals:  
**1,855

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame: **3,811**  
regionalPower**: 4.9

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.

**Vassal (Tribes, Clan, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 2)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 19)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 26)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)  
**Shashan** Sorrhl-Ye City (regionalPower: 1)  
**Kragnok Scorchscale** \- Scorchscale Clan (clanPower: 16)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 4.9)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +890 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 14)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 10)  
**Duchy of Nanamos -700 (Extremely Hostile)** (regionalPower: 89)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 7.0)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set ****  
Contract Emblem for the County of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*New Nations! If you want to add your own that I might accept, give me minimum 300 words for its description and send it to me on Personal Messaging, not the review. I ignore the ones in review on the matter of principle.

Black Hand Imperial-Theocracy by General Bobo  
Government: Theocratic Monarchy  
Religion: Worship of the Black Hand  
Races: High elf, wood elf, night elf  
Neighbors: Endless Desert(north), Bessex Horde (west)  
History: Small contingent of crusaders from a dead empire, rather than go back to salvage their dead empire, they decided to settle down where they were spreading their religion to found a new empire.

The Union of Liberty by kage88  
Government: Semi-organized military council (for the moment)  
Religion: Up to the citizen  
Races: Humans, beastkin, arakkoan, tauren, trolls, onis, kobolds, elves, and 30+ more.  
Neighbors: Duchy of Revyola, Grand Duchy of Sarang, Galburian Contested Zone  
At war with: Duchy of Revyola, Grand Duchy of Sarang, Kingdom of Galburia, independent adventurer states.  
History: The endless cycle of death and destruction forced these slaves to depend on each other. Their number swelled with more and more destruction as more and more slaves ran away in the sieges and battles. They have now gathered together and formed their own nation in hopes of surviving the tragedy that was the Galburian civil war.

* * *

Some questions from readers:

***1 How does Iroonwood symbol look like**  
The flag is a black mountain in front of green and white horizontal stripes.

***2 How old is Christopher and what are his stats.**

20 years old. Not bad for a Duke, eh?

Christopher Zepolya  
Duke of Transyl-Carpathi  
LvL 32

HP: 170  
MP: 30

STR: 66  
END: 35  
AGI: 41  
DEX: 78  
INT: 298  
WIS: 143  
CHA: 199

Traits:  
Genius, Kind, Loyal, Strong, Magic Lover, Architect, Stressed

***3 How the hell have Orcs joined the clan ?**

Orcs have joined the clan because they are also refugees running away from the marauding empire. What you must understand is that the empire was indiscriminate in who they raided. They raided even one of their own, as you can tell by the Scorchscale Clan that joined recently. These orcs that joined the clan were survivors of purged clans. Imperials are b***, aren't they?

***4 and the last question Aquitia Karling on who based she is ( the way you presented her I think she will be an important character in the future )**

Oh, she will be important. Who she is based on is actually ... no one. Who she will become! That is the question, now. The answer, which exists, but will not be spoken.

_You ask these questions, you shall receive as long as questions are reasonable._


	67. Chapter 67

_**Heavy Freedom Arc**_

* * *

"Don't understand how that guy smoked this."

A blonde young man of average height stood in front of a field of spotty shrubs. In his hand, he had a smoking roll of the same plant bound in parchment. He wore a chainmail over his wool shirt and a pair of thin steel plated thigh guards on either side of his waist. There was no flag of note nor color of nobility on this man.

This was because this man was a ex-slave.

To be specific, he was currently the co-leader of the new state called "Union of Liberty."

He sighed, letting out a deep gush of smoke.

"Bah," he muttered before he tossed the cigar to the ground and smashed his boot to put the light out.

"General!"

He didn't turn around. He wanted to be alone for a few more moments without the issues of the world hounding him.

"General Hohenheim!"

"I told you bastards to not call me by that name!" he shouted abruptly, and the messenger reared back from the sheer volume the average sized man could make, because as far as the messenger was concerned, his entire world shook with that roar.

It was a joke.

Him? A Hohenheim?

It was the universe telling him to go fuck himself.

"It's either Ed or Elric, never Hohemheim," he grunted. "Got it?"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

"Good. Tell me what you're here for," he said as he turned his back to the tobacco field.

"The kingdom is sending another army of five thousand after us. General al'Shavi sent me to escort you to the command tent," the messenger said as they left the tobacco field and entered the bustling main base of the UOL's main army.

Soldiers, mages, and ex-slaves all saluted as he passed by, which only made his scowl get deeper and deeper.

Then they reached the tent at the center of the base. The messenger stopped, saluted, and ran off.

Edward slapped the flaps and entered.

"I told you not to get them to call me Hoheheim!" he shouted at the man looking over the map at the center of the tent with nine other officers.

The man looked up and grinned. "It seems to bug you like crazy, and it's only formal that you do, Edward!" General al'Shavi said cheerfully. Then his demeanor changed. "I assume the messenger told you what was going on."

Edward frowned as he made his way to the map as well. "Yes," he replied as he stopped before the map. "How far?"

"50 kilometers or so. They'll be here in two days."

"Two days," Edward muttered as he looked at the map.

The King's Army, as they called the original Kingdom of Galburia's armies, were to their west. 2 days was far too close; how did their own scouts not find this army until now?

And five thousand men? That was not going to be fun. Not when he and al'Shavi only had three thousand. It was actually going to be 70% guaranteed losing fight.

"Our reinforcements?"

al'Shavi stiffened before he shook his head. "The other generals won't come."

"Bastards!" Edward growled and smashed his hand down onto the map. "We're fighting for our freedom and all they care about is their goddamn prestige?!"

Edward was a loner. had been since he was born in this world as a slave. When he showed talent in alchemy, his master immediately separated him from his family and sold him to the Galburian Imperial Army. Ranked as a "slave officer," he was put through training just barely easier than the one his former Master Izumi Curtis had put him through.

That had been 14 years ago. The civil war broke out when Edward had been out here in the east. Immediately, he freed as much slaves as possible and along with nine other "slave officers" who had done the same formed the Union of Liberty (not his name suggestion).

But those fools!

Of all the things the other generals could have learned, all they learned was the thrice Truth damned POLITICS!

Since Edward was the rising star among the eyes of the populace, they refused to lend him their army. Why would they? Once this nation was finally settled and true, they didn't want him; it would make their own power base weaker.

All except al'Shavi.

al'Shavi was a dark skinned man with pink eyes. No, not the symptom! His iris was literally pink! Narrow jaws, orderly teeth, narrowed eyes, and high cheeks were his distinguishing facial features. Oh, and he smiled a lot.

He was the only one who cared more about the people than his own fame and wealth. To that end, he had permanently attached his troop of then 3,000 to Edward's 4,000.

But then battles took toll.

Battle after battle, no one sent aid.

That 7,000 was now only 3,000.

Edward raged, but al'Shavi calmed him down.

'You only burn yourself,' he told Edward, still smiling, but there was something glinting in his eyes that made Edward shiver. 'Keep it burning, but do not burn yourself with it. That rage is a tool. Contain it. Harvest it. Control it.'

Edward took his one of two only friends' advice to heart.

He had become a better man.

But his personality and attitude had nothing to do with what the battle was going to be if they didn't get help.

"GENERAL!"

All officers in the tent snapped their neck to the entrance. There stood a messenger whose entire attire had been disheveled and torn.

Edward remembered this man. He was the messenger he had sent to Ironwood Clan, the only hope he and al'Shavi had.

He nearly teleported from where he was to where the messenger stood. "Al, please tell me they're sending help!"

This was Alphonse Hohenheim (Elric!), his brother from past life. He was -again- taller than his older brother, but this was because Alphonse _was the older brother_ in this life.

Irony, eh?

But regardless, Edward had found him in the civil war, and they learned of each other's reincarnation.

Many tears were shed that day.

He was the only other friend that he trusted explicitly.

Too busy in his thoughts, Edward forgot that he had been shaking Al.

Al promptly fainted from the shaking.

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 42:**

"So... wait, what?"

"I say we help them."

"No, no, no. Why should we help 'em? It's not our problem. Let 'em come to us."

"This is an outrage! We must help them!"

As the Small Chiefs bickered back and forth, including Senna and Shirou, I looked upon the messenger.

**[Alphonse Elric-Hohenheim**  
**LvL 79**  
**The Steel Alchemist**

**Age: 29**

**Race: Human**

**HP: 173  
MP: 230**

**STR: 209**  
**END: 189**  
**AGI: 216**  
**DEX: 120**  
**INT: 340**  
**WIS: 263**  
**CHA: 93**

**Traits:**  
**Reincarnation, Shy, Calm, Strong, Honest, Content, Diligent, Stutter(Battle wound)]**

Another one.

This made it the fourth reincarnated person I know to date, including myself.

"Which world?" I asked him.

Everyone stopped talking.

Shirou and Senna's eyes were wide and staring at Alphonse too.

It was kind of a code phrase. 'Which world' was my question to all reincarnated individuals that I was going to say from now on. I told so to Shirou and Senna a week ago after finding out about Senna's backstory (Matou Sakura or something). By sainyg 'Which World,' I had alerted the two to the fact that they were in the presence of another reincarnated individual.

"W-What?" the messenger stuttered.

Personally, I thought the messenger of this "Union of Liberty" was a poor choice to make. He stuttered a lot. But perhaps they didn't send him for his diplomacy but rather his ability to survive pursuers. His state of dress -which involved a lot of singes, cuts, and blood splatters- said as much.

"Which world are you from?"

He googled at me for a bit before he bit out, "Amestris."

I glanced over to Shirou. He shook his head.

I shrugged. "Nice to meet you, Alphonse Elric."

The messenger froze.

"No need to be alert," I told him. "I have an ability that lets me glimpse over my target's basic ability, you see. I didn't know about you prior to our meeting."

He relaxed.

"Except Shirou and Senna, leave us."

The small chiefs looked a bit disgruntled but they did as they were told.

And when the meeting room's doors closed, I rose up from my "throne," (it was just a tad bit bigger chair with thin gold trim that Dresa demanded that I get) and walked over to Alphonse.

I extended my hand. "My name is Ruto. I'm a reincarnated man from the world of Elemental Nations."

Alphonse gawked but shook my hand.

I tilted my head to Senna and Shirou, who remained seated. "They're from a world called Earth."

He fainted.

"...Was that too much mental stress?" I asked Shirou.

He nodded. "Generally, people flip over information like this. Your Gamer prevents that."

"Huh."

* * *

When Alphonse woke up again, I was standing over him. "Yo."

He quickly got up. "I-I'm sorry. My ... this body isn't really good with shocks outside of battle..."

I scoffed. "At least you take fight then. That's good." Then I paused before I spoke up again. "I will agree to help you on one condition."

"...?"

I told him to sit down and I sat down on my throne.

He slowly did sit down.

"If I help you, then there must be something I get back in return, no?" I asked him.

He nodded hesitantly. "I-I think my brother is willing to part with gold-"

"I don't want gold."

"T-Then?"

"I want your fealty."

Shirou glared at me. Senna seemed intrigued by my demand.

Alphonse's eyes widened. "I don't h-have the authority to c-consent to somet-thing like that."

Okay, that stutter was getting annoying, even if it was a battle wound.

"You can always go and get the consent then."

"Y-You don't understand. Our U-Union is a c-c-coalition of generals, m-m-merchants, and city lead-ders," he said. "C-Consent won't b-be ever r-reached."

"Your brother is a general, is he not? Does he not control a fiefdom?"

"...He does."

"Then can he not swear fealty with what little he has?"

"... He can."

Thank god, the stutter is gone.

"Then that's all I require. Anyone I help will have to swear their loyalty to me and in return, I will be a fair and just ruler and protector," I replied with a smile. "I cannot rush my people into a battle for no reason, Alphonse Elric. We're not mercenaries, so gold is not something I can just accept for the lives that may die. But loyalty and more people to join the clan? I can go with that."

"I-I understand, b-but what about time?"

And there it is again.

"I have a solution for that."

Then I turned to Shirou.

He glared at me. "You bastard."

"I don't think you know what I'm thinking."

"I know what you think I'm thinking."

"Do you honestly know what I'm thinking or are you thinking that you know what I'm thinking because you think you know how I think?"

"You want me to go and negotiate."

"Wrong! Haha!"

"...Then what?"

"You'll be taking care of my paperwork."

"You son of a-!"

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 43:**

With 10 warriors, all of whom were B-rank Archers, I set out with Alphonse Elric.

My warriors and I rode the kodo. While it was not fast as Alphonse's messenger horse, it certainly had much more stamina.

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 46:**

"So what is your brother like?" I asked Alphonse as we rode.

Mere hours after we set out, it was decided that we would travel together. It was safer for all of us (namely Alphonse) to travel together.

I also decided to use this time to gather some information about the Union of Liberty in general. While I had heard of them in passing from few of the ex-slaves who made it to my city, I didn't have real concrete information on them until Alphonse talked about them when he explained the situation.

"He's ... uh ... sensitive about the name?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Hohenheim was the name of our father in our past life, and brother really resents that, especially since it was a name that was just given to us at birth."

"It wasn't your father's name in this life?"

He shook his head. "No. Slaves in Galburia are given their first and last name by the master. Hohenheim happened to be what I was saying to Edward when our master was deciding our names."

"So he overheard you and took a liking to that name."

Alphonse chuckled. "Our former master only gave it to us because it made Edward mad. It gave him reason to .. whip him."

I grunted. So the situation was like that over there.

"HALT!"

I frowned as our entourage did so.

We were greeted by an fully armed cavalry patrol of the Revyolan colors.

"That man is under arrest!" the leader of the patrol, a knight I presumed, shouted. "Give him to us, troll!"

I frowned. "Is it normal for the Revyolans to arrest ambassadors on a whim? And who are you to order me, punk?"

"What?!" the leader hissed as he drew his sword, but was stopped by who appeared to be his squire. The squire rapidly spoke something into the patrol leader's ears. "...I see," he said as he sheathe his sword. "I was not aware that the Ironwood Clan is working with those slave filth."

I laughed out loud. "Nice comeback," I commented. "But I am not working with the Union."

"Then hand the slave to us, Chief of Ironwood."

I glared at him before turning on my [Intimidation] to full.

"Like I said, punk ... no one orders me around," I growled. "Scram!"

While the riders didn't want to, the horses they rode on were another matter. When I shouted, they became jittery and then flighty and ran away.

"We'll get you for this~!" the patrol leader shouted as his mount forced him away.

I scoffed. "Classic one liner," I muttered. "Alright, let's get moving, boys."

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 47:**

Our progress was slowed by the Revyolan patrols. They were very keen on attacking Alphonse. They demanded his arrest, and when I refused, they attacked.

My archers fired off Rapid Fire and killed them all. It was only self-defense, after all.

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 49:**

We finally fucking made it to UOL territory after being attacked twenty times.

Alphonse quickly led me to where his brother's main base camp was. Unlike myself and my warriors, though, I could tell that Alphonse was running on steam, but considerably doing better than when he first appeared before me and my small chief council.

Hope everything turns out okay.

* * *

Men shouted from outside and the officers within the tent tensed up.

Then a red hand pushed the flaps aside and a giant troll being stepped in.

Well, giant to Edward.

"I know that you're desperate," the troll spoke in Common Human. "But shaking someone who's been riding non-stop for the last three days is a much bit too much, don't ya think so, Edward Elric?"

Edward froze up.

His eyes dilated.

His heart pumped.

This guy was dangerous.

His instincts screamed at him to run. That if he fought this troll, only death would greet him.

"Y-You are?" he asked.

The troll groaned. "Please don't tell me you stutter too!"

"Oi!"

The troll leaned down a little. "Name's Ruto. I'm the Chief of the Ironwood Clan, and I'm here to personally negotiate the price of my help," he replied. Ruto then took his hand from where Edward still held onto his brother by the collar and forced it into a shake. "Nice to meet you, Reincarnee."

Edward grunted.

"At least you didn't faint."

* * *

I allowed Alphonse to wake up to explain. Perhaps it was a little cruel of me to make Alphonse explain when I could've, but it was better for someone with a friendly face to explain than a stranger. It made things smoother.

So when they called me back in to their command tent, I was ready to meet some grim faces.

And what grim faces they were.

There was a clean table ready and we set around it.

"So you want our fealty," Edward spoke evenly.

**[Edward Elric-Hoheheim**  
**LvL 86**  
**The Fullmetal Alchemist**

**Age: 26**

**Race: Human**

**HP: 170**  
**MP: 319**

**STR: 240**  
**END: 167**  
**AGI: 209**  
**DEX: 175**  
**INT: 340**  
**WIS: 257**  
**CHA: 133**

**Traits:**  
**Genius, Strong, Wroth, Diligent, Impatient, Proud, General, Strategist]**

"In exchange for protection and just rule, yes."

"Galburians also prided themselves of their 'just' rule, and they had slaves," al'Shavi replied. He was the other general in charge of this army.

**[Vyyagrin al'Shavi**  
**LvL 169**  
**The Kind General**

**Age: 583**

**Race: Elf**

**HP: 150**  
**MP: 0**

**STR: 90**  
**END: 198**  
**AGI: 139**  
**DEX: 294**  
**INT: 180**  
**WIS: 533**  
**CHA: 100**

**Traits:**  
**Nimble, Quick, Patient, Deceitful, Kind, Light Infantry Leader, Organizer, Strategist]**

"My just rule has no such thing as slavery involved. We have plenty of food and shelter, so no one is forced to do anything, though I expect everyone to do something productive," I replied easily.

"And we're supposed to take your word for it?"

I grinned. "Of course you are. What else are you supposed to believe in? Aren't all diplomacy based on words that ambassadors cannot prove on their own?"

"Sometimes, diplomacy is backed by might," al'Shavi countered. "And I see that you've only brought a handful."

"The very same handful who had part in taking down M'Arkan rebellion less than a month ago. The very same men with more than a fifty kill count in their first battle. The very same men who I brought up from their infancy as imps to what they are now," I retorted. "Each of whom the Duke of Transyl-Carpathi has declared to be equal to C-rank adventurers."

The shock was plain onthe two generals' faces.

"Impossible! No monster race can have a class!" Edward snarled.

"Perhaps a demonstration will help? All of them are Archers, so would [Rapid Fire] do?"

I learned that [Rapid Fire] was a skill that was well known among the general populace due to how common Archer classes were among the few peasant and common folks who gained classes.

They nodded. We stood up and left the tent.

"Oi, Grotche!"

One of my men, a kobold, looked up. "What's up, chief?"

The Union soldiers around us looked scandalized by the casual form of greeting in public setting.

"The Union generals doubt that any of you guys are Archers."

Grotche scoffed. "It's expected."

"So we need a demonstration," I grinned.

He stood and nodded. "What do I need to do, chief?"

"[Rapid Fire] at a target of the generals' choosing."

I turned around to look at the two generals, who had followed me outside. "Well?"

Edward clapped his hands together and slammed into the ground.

With bustling blue lightning and sparks, a grey training dummy rose up a hundred meters or so from myself.

"Ther-"

"[Rapid Fire]," Grotche said as he pulled his bow out.

In under four seconds, he emptied his entire quiver, and the training dummy was a porcupine.

The soldiers gawked.

The generals gawked.

"What's your kill count again, Grotche?"

"About three hundred, chief. I was with ya in almost all battles and at the Battle of Pset, remember? Why'd you ask?"

"Nothing. Just confirming something," I replied without turning around, just grinning at the two generals. "Gentlemen, shall we go back to the tent?"

They numbly nodded.

* * *

Once we were back inside again, the talks went the same way, but now assured that I had the means of ensuring their protection, they demanded a magical contract to ensure my just rule.

I agreed, and personally drafted the article.

It went something like this.

_1\. I shall grant my subjects formerly from Union of Liberty basic human rights._  
_2\. I shall not imprison anyone without due process of law._  
_3\. Slavery shall never be allowed._  
_4\. All laws of the Ironwood Clan apply to all citizens._  
_5\. This treaty will remain effective until one side breaks any of the mentioned agreements._  
_6\. In return for loyalty and fealty, I, Chief Ruto of Ironwood Clan, will protect them as if they were citizens of Ironwood City._

Edward and al'Shavi both signed it, effectively binding them and their armies to the contract.

Oh, Edward was not happy about being under someone right after having freed himself and so many others, but it wasn't slavery and he and the other generals definitely lacked the manpower nor the infrastructure to make themselves a true nation. With those reasons, he conceded.

When this news reached the other generals and leaders of UOL, however, shit hit the fan.

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 51:**

I had sent back word to Ironwood to bring reinforcement of 350, which would make the number of my warriors here a total of 400.

And today, they arrived mere hours before King's Army arrived.

I stood with al'Shavi and Edward to my right.

3,000 of their men stood behind us.

400 of my warriors stood to the 3,000's left flank.

We saw the army of 5,000 before us. For a moment, we stared at each other before the general of the King's Army marched to us with only a single knight for his protection.

He stood before us three, only two meters away.

"I did not expect the Ironwood King to be here."

I raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you Galburians call me these days?" I asked the general.

He nodded. After a moment of pause -or was it hesitation?-, he extended his right hand out for a handshake.

"General Heartfin al'Shavi."

Edward and I blinked. We turned to our al'Shavi.

"He's my grandson," our al'Shavi replied casually.

I chuckled and shook Heartfin's hand.

"I assume you have already taken over?" Heartfin asked after a firm shake and release.

I nodded. "These two, their army, and their territory belongs to me."

"...I s-"

All four of us froze as war horns rung out from the south. We turned as one and saw the banners of other UOL generals and leaders.

They were walking over a hill with their flags held high. I saw at least 8,000 soldiers there.

"WE DECLARE WAR UPON THE TRAITORS EDWARD HOHENHEIM AND VYYAGRIN AL'SHAVI! YOU HAVE SULLIED OUR NAMES BY ALLYING YOURSELF WITH THE IRONWOOD!"

It seems that they weren't happy about the entire "become my vassal" ordeal.

There was pause before the UOL army charged at us.

I reeled back a bit.

They were going to attack their own former comrades for seeking protection?!

"I got this," I said as I walked towards them. "ISKAN!" I roared, louder than anyone else had shouted in the battlefield so far. "RAPID FIRE TO SOUTH! ENEMY IS UNION OF LIBERTY! ARMY OF EDWARD AND AL'SHAVI ARE FRIENDLY. DO NOT FIRE UPON GALBURIANS UNLESS THEY ATTACK FIRST!"

A mere second had passed as my warriors turned as one and unleashed continuous hail of arrows.

I pulled out boulders from my Inventory and flung them at the charging army.

Boulders and arrows rained down without mercy.

Magicians under UOL flag tried to put up barriers, lighting up the Union Army blue with their barrier. However, no matter how strong they were, none of them were A-rank or S-rank; the only S-rankers of the Union were the Elric brothers, and they were on the other side of the army. When arrows struck the barriers by the hundreds, they gave in with a resounding crack.

My boulders didn't help crashing the barriers.

Men flattened, blood splattered, and bodies flew. The Union Army didn't even get to fight my warriors in melee before they were running away with a third of their numbers killed.

I snorted. "That's right! Run, you little bitches!" I spat before turning around... to see the calculating faces of all three generals. "What?"

"I suppose the king won't be happy about this, but fight you gets me and the kingdom nothing in return," Heartfin said. "I would like to sign a peace treaty with the Ironwood Clan."

So we did.

**LvL Up**  
**+5 STR**  
**+1 DEX**

* * *

**Interesting News around the World**  
**Ruto's Year 2 + Day 60:**

*Black Hand Imperial-Theocracy has started another crusade. This time, they are attacking the peaceful Kingdom of Arin, who endorses the Path of Light.

*South of the BHIT, ten ragtag city-states have come together to form the United Republic of Qadam States (by theBleakGamer)

*Ulster won their war against Raic-Duhlsi Vampiric Republic, annexing the province of Sallium ... which has exchanged hands between the two of them 90 times over the course of their bitter rivalry.

*Union of Liberty officially split into two: the north, which under Edward "Elric" Hohenheim and Vyyagrin al'Shavi, pledged loyalty to the Ironwood Clan and its Chief Ruto in exchange for protection and just rule, and the south, which vehemently refused to swear an oath of loyalty. This split has reduced Union of Liberty's total fighting force by 3,000 troops and 2 S-rankers while Ironwood Clan gained them. At the same time, Ironwood Clan signed an official non-aggression pact and peace treaty with Heartfin al'Shavi, who had been sent by the King of Galburia as field marshall. Due to his position, the two treaties are officially recognized by the Kingdom of Galburia.

*Kingdom of Galburia, while not happy with Ironwood Clan's annexation of Northern Dynland, were happy enough about the removal of 2 S-rankers from attacking their army. They doubled the forces involved in attacking UOL.

*Duke of Duchy of Revyola has denounced Ironwood Clan's annexation of Northern Dynland, stating that this was a ploy for the Ironwood Clan to pincer attack them. Grand Duchy of Sarang's duchess has yet to publicly comment about this.

*Duchy of Nanamos has made gains against Kingdom of Galburia.

*Officially speaking, there are now only 5 fighters in the Galburian civil war: Duchy of Nanamos, Union of Liberty, Kingdom of Galburia, Contested Zone, and Grand Council of Adventurers of Galburia. The strongest is the Grand Council for the moment.

*Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire's attack on the Kerman rebels failed. The empire officially recognized the rebel's independence in a peace treaty. Barrelhaven (or Necropolis) was able to gain their independence as well (not that they were ever considered to be under the imperial rule due to the fact that everyone forgot they existed before this rebellion), taking a sizable chunk of territory leading them to Ironwood Clan territory.

*Kingdom of Neutonia blamed the loss of their "merchant fleet" on Kingdom of Caladria, and demanded official compensation. Caladria rebutted this by declaring that the "merchant fleets" under Neutonia were all pirates, provided evidence in diplomacy and to public. This has significantly reduced Neutonia's prestige among its neighbors, including its biggest trade partner and biggest victim of the pirates, the Suh Dynasty. Word has it that Suh Dynasty may even declare cession of trade between the itself and Neutonia.

*Black Drakken Flight Hegemony formally declared a military alliance with its western neighbor, the Laguz Alliance.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Arc End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 2 + Day 60:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 146  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 168.5(+924.5) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1854(1390.50(SGMII))  
DEX: 336  
AGI: 300  
END: 686  
INT: 237  
WIS: 260  
CHA: 204  
Unused Points: 29**

**Spirit: 40  
Magic: 25  
Power: 41**

**Control: 107  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): ? + 5,366  
Infamy: +5,979**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,** Stressed, **Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 7)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Berserker (LvL 11)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 5)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 10)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 6)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 91) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 66)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 28)  
Reinforcement (LvL 49)  
****Sonar (LvL 44)  
Time Decel (LvL 10)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 32)**x**  
Archery (LvL 37)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 25)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 34)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 39)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 69)**x**  
Charging (LvL 24)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 51) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 40)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 40)**  
**Fireball (LvL 16)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 14)  
Intimidation (LvL 51)  
Language (LvL 7): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 39)  
Mapping (LvL 22)  
Negotiation (LvL 17) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 13)  
Physical Durability (LvL 55)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 24)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 23)  
Teaching (LvL 23)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 47)  
Trapping (LvL 52)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 79)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **, **Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , Lizardmen, Earth Fairy, Orc, Elf, Drakken

**Warrior Count:** 769

**Total: **5,627

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,905

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame: **3,811**  
regionalPower**: 4.9

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.

**Vassal (Tribes, Clan, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 2)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 19)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 26)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)  
**Shashan** Sorrhl-Ye City (regionalPower: 1)  
**Kragnok Scorchscale** \- Scorchscale Clan (clanPower: 16)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 4.9)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +890 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 14)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 10)  
**Duchy of Nanamos -700 (Extremely Hostile)** (regionalPower: 89)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 7.0)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set ****  
Contract Emblem for the County of Upper Carpathi**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Instead of adding new nations here, I'll just be adding their names to the interesting news. Makes life easier for me.

*I think I answered this already but Ruto won't be evolving for some time. Like for another 800 LvLs.


	68. Chapter 68

_**Heavy Freedom Arc**_

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 69:**

It took a while for me to set up another outpost right at the south border of my new land. Or rather, it was Edward and al'Shavi's land. They were the leaders of the ex-slaves living in Northern Dynland. For a land much smaller than Upper Carpathi, it was considered a county. Imagine that. I supposed that the number of people living there -around 31,000 does give the land somewhat more prestige and level compared to Upper Carpathi, which used to be almost barren except few human cities doting it before I came along.

Anyway, during the week I spent with the Elrics who were elected as the leader of the Northern Dynland, while al'Shavi contented himself with the title of Marshall for the Elrics, I had to fight off two more attempts.

Of course, North Dynland was now my territory. I defended my new people with ferocity that even some of my warriors seemed wary of.

Then the attacks stopped.

Apparently, Heartkin al'Shavi, the grandson of Vyyagrin al'Shavi, had led his army of 5,000, which was completely untouched in the past week, and attacked the Union Army's rear when the latter was about to attack my people again.

Ambushed, weakened, and outnumbered, the Union Army of 4,000 fell apart.

From what I've last heard, Union of Liberty was now being sieged from all sides, not just the Kingdom of Galburia.

Now, almost three weeks since I've left home, I returned!

I just wanted to hug Candy to sleep today.

Of course, I knew that my energetic lover was not going to let me go to sleep so easily...

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 83:**

The western patrol came across a large band of refugees. They were mostly barefooted with very few men and women armed. Their gaunt faces, caved stomachs, and red marks around their wrists and ankles immediately gave them off as ex-slaves. They were immediately taken into Ironwood City and treated.

When the refugees saw me, they cried in relief and worship.

I tried to get them to stop bowing and crying, but they would not have it.

I knelt before the eldest, an old man of 80, who had his forehead on the ground. He was one of the worst off. His shoe had worn out a long time ago and his feet were bleeding. He was the most starved of them all. I could tell simply by looking, even without my [Observe]. Did he give his food to the children, who were better off than the adults?

"Please, you don't need to bow to me," I said as I helped him up.

"B-But you are the savior," he sniffled. "You gave us hope. You broke our chains."

"I didn't do anything like that. You've led yourself here," I denied. "But don't worry, we'll take care of you. You've come a long way."

* * *

When I heard their stories, it made me feel guilty.

The Gutting of Galiz had led to their uprising and eventual exile.

"It's not your fault."

I frowned as I looked up. "Of course it's my fault."

Shirou shook his head as he sat down at the Small Chief Council table while I remained seated on my throne.

As mentioned before, the Small Chief Council room had undergone some changes like my throne for example. Another change was that we moved the location from a small room to a bigger room where there were more windows and the cobblestone had been smoothed out. The meeting room now looked over the rest of the city from perhaps 15 meters off the floor level.

"Before you came along, they were in an inescapable cage," Shirou spoke when I was about to speak again. "I've seen situations like that much more than you have, Ruto."

"So I did the fucking right thing by getting their family and friends killed in their attempt at freedom?"

He glared. "Freedom has a price, Ruto. Never forget it. All of those people knew that when they decided to rise up. They knew their family and friends, and even themselves, were going to perish, but they did so anyway because it is better than the alternative," he spat, but no malice was directed at me. "I told you that I've seen a lot, Ruto. I also know what it is like to be forced into service."

I blinked. "You were a slave?"

"Not in the usual sense, but it was slavery in the end," he replied as he stood back up. "Remember, you did nothing wrong, but this is the consequence of both your and their action. Besides, it's better to die fighting for what you believe in than to shrivel up as you wait the impending doom."

I watched him leave and then disappear.

It seems to me that Gutting of Galiz will forever remain a painful memory of my reckless actions.

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 94:**

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

Why was this happening again? It's been less than a month since I've returned from my last trip.

I supposed that it really was my faith to be constantly badgered by the world.

"What do they want _this time_?" I growled.

"They are demanding the return of 'wrongfully' captured retinue of the 'esteemed' Duke of Revyola," Shirou replied as he handed me the letter. "They are threatening us with embargo and closing borders."

"Like that ever stopped me," I replied as I held the letter open.

Just like before, the douche that the Duke of Revyola was, he sent me a letter like the last few times hand out baseless threats.

_To Chief Ruto of Ironwood Clan,_

_I demand this very instant that you return my retinue whom your men have captured at my northern border and compensation for this mistreatment! Nothing but this will satisfy me. Otherwise, I shall permanently close my borders to you and your bloody ilk!_

_[Sigil of Duchy of Revyola]_  
_[Sigil of House Woombahnstrom]_

I scoffed and burned the letter with a fireball. "I should go crush his castle like I did with Nanamos."

Shirou glared at me. "Ruto, we've talked about this."

I pouted. "But it's a good response! Those fucking 'retinue' of his are the raiders we've captured!"

Shirou nodded. "It's a morally compromised response at best and a declaration of war at worst. Killing civilians who did nothing this time is not something I can condone."

And Shirou had a point. Unlike former Duke of Nanamos, Duke of Revyola did not use his levies -and thus his people- to do his raiding. Instead, he had his retinue, a personal and professional army under his command, to do it.

Unfortunately for him, when his retinue attacked Serrhl-Ye three days ago, I personally went and captured them all instead of the raiders being driven off by the city's own guards.

I also pilfered all of the retinue's weapons and armors before melting them down. The iron was then donated to my city's local artisan guild free of charge.

Speaking of materials...

The Dhan'Thal dwarves were having trouble reforging the mithril armor I was able to gain as loot. I had asked for a chainmail for myself to wear underneath my casual leather jacket and cotton shirt so that I won't have to wear my heavy Ironwood Steel Armor set. They were having trouble because there was a issue with forging process. For one, they lacked a [Volcanic Foundry], which is the only furnace that could melt mithril.

Unfortunately for me and the dwarves, we didn't know where to begin to get a [Volcanic Foundry] or make one. It ended up being a quest.

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 97:**

I was a bit nervous.

The messenger fairy I had sent to deliver the reply to the Duke of Revyolan's demand had yet to return. Did something happen?

On the other hand, Juras Managot decided to become a citizen of my clan. He seemed to be very happy with Riddle, who also seemed to enjoy his company.

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 98:**

I shot up.

"What?" I growled.

The messenger fairy I had sent to deliver the reply to Duke of Revyola had been killed at the Duke's order.

The Duke then declared war on me and my people.

Rage boiled inside me, and I could tell that the rest of the Small Chiefs were feeling the same.

The person who had been sent to deliver this message was the Revyolan ambassador. He was smug and arrogant bastard.

Not for long though.

I crossed the distance between the throne where I sat and where the ambassador stood. I grabbed his neck and twisted.

He dropped like a stringless ragdoll. He gurgled a bit before he fell silent.

"They want a fucking war, chiefs," I growled. "I say it's about time we give those slavers a fucking ass kicking they will never forget!"

The chiefs all roared in favor, including Senna.

* * *

Iskan(troll leader), Shirou(oni leader), Candy(vashta leader), Senna(fairykin leader), Golt(Dhan'Thal Chief), Derin*human leader), Skrall Keenjikiki (Aru tribal chief), Dresa(kobold leader), and I sat down to strategize.

First off, messenger fairies were sent off to raise the levies from Northern Dynland and the Lizardkin cities.

Second, food production was increased so that we will be able to supply troops.

Third,

Fourth,

Lastly, we all agreed that an announcement needed to be made, and it was my job.

* * *

I gathered the entire city before the citadel. Everyone not working was there, and waiting for me.

"It's been a while since I stood before you, right? Last time I did it, I declared our victory over the Lizardkin Kingdom."

There were murmurs of agreements. Most didn't look nervous, which told me that what I was feeling was not being reflect on the outside. That was Good. I was keeping good control over myself.

"Well, most of you know about the raiders that have been visiting us from the south, right? The slavers?"

Shouts of curses against slavers and shouts of agreement rang out. There were many within my city who had been slaves until but a few months ago. They weren't the majority, but there were still enough, especially with the ex-slaves who had journeyed so far to reach my city.

"Well, one of those slaver dukes to the south threatened you and myself because I _dared _to protect my city! Then I told him to go fuck himself, he killed the fairy who delivered the message!" I shouted.

There was a pause of disbelief and shock before my people rang out as one in anger.

"They want a war!" I shouted. "They want a war with this clan that has killed more than ten times its size!"

"Yeah!" people shouted.

"They want a war with this clan that is allied with Zepolya! They want a war with the people that made the imperials shiver in fear!" Not true, but good enough.

"YEAH!"

"I say we give them a war the world will never forget!"

"YEAH!"

"WE GO TO WAR!"

* * *

When Christopher Zepolya, the Duke of Transyl-Carpathi, entered his study to do his paperwork, he was happy to see another letter from Ruto.

He was not so happy by the end of that letter.

He stood up and called the guards. "Get me all of my advisers. We're being called to war."

By the end of that week, mere 3 days after he received the letter, Christopher had raised his levies to war.

He had only been getting help so far from Ironwood. It was finally his time to help his faithful allies.

* * *

Edward, Alphonse, and Vyyagrin looked at the letter in their hands.

It was call to war.

"Well, at least we have allies this time," Alphonse said with a sigh. "How many is he calling?"

"It's Revyola," Vyyagrin al'Shavi grunted. "This won't be a easy war."

"Revyola was already attacking us before we pledged ourselves to Ironwood," Edward said as he set the letter down. "We are going to war."

* * *

Pyrcol of the Warrhl-Ye stared at the letter in his hand.

Ever since the Ironwood Conquest of the Lower Carpathi, he had been assigned as the lizardkin leader.

Now, their king was calling them to war.

"Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later," Pyrcol hissed thoughtfully. "Trisgar, get me my messengers!"

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 99:**

As the morning sun rose into the city, the city quickly got to work. The dwarves and the kobolds mined the ores and forged swords and arrows. The trolls, onis, tauren, and humans pulled the stored foods out of the granaries and onto carts while magicians among my people cast preservation spells.

At the same time, volunteers and regular warriors armed and armored themselves. Iskan assigned squads and platoons.

At the end of the day, we had 884 volunteers sign up to go to battle. Along with my warriors, that made the body count 1,653. A large number for a city that had less than 10,000 denizens, but it was to be expected. Many of the volunteers were men and women who had lost too much before they had arrived in my city. A chance to get back at the slavers and former masters was too good to pass up for them.

My rousing speech about how victorious we were in the past and how powerful we are probably gave them courage as well.

* * *

**Year 2+ Day 103:**

I stood by the main gate of Warrhl-Ye. Here, my army was stationed while we waited for the levies of lizardkin cities. I decided to use Warrhl-Ye as the gathering point for the levies. this way, I can keep the soldiers fed relatively easily with food brought from my own city, whose food production was apparently a hundred times greater than Warrhl-Ye's, and have a location for the levies to easily find rather than "just head south."

Then I saw a scout fairy blaze towards me.

"The Revyolan Army has just entered our southern border by Trinnhl-Ye! They've set up camp right outside of it!" the fairy screamed as he came to a screeching mid-air stop before me. "The mayor of Trinnhl-Ye is asking for help. He has little very little garrison in his city!"

That was bad.

Trinnhl-Ye was at best a small fort and at the worst an easy target. Unlike the Sorrhl-Ye's, Warrhl-Ye, and Yaran-Ye, Trinnhl-Ye was not a strong city. It was more fortified than Warrhl-Ye, yes, but it lacked the manpower to hold out any sieges.

We were only at Warrhl-Ye and the trip to Trinnhl-Ye from here was at least 2 days march for an army that was _prepared_. My warriors just finished unpacking! If Revyola decided to attack the city right now...!

"How big is the garrison at Trinnhl-Ye?" I asked Pyrcol.

The red scaled lizardkin looked down at his stack of parchment he held. "Outside of the levies, all of whom have already arrived here, the garrison at Trinnhl-Ye is around 400 man-at-arms, milord," he frowned. I saw that he too understood what was going on.

I snapped around to see Candy, Iskan, and Shirou jog up to me. They had seen the commotion that I was causing. "Iskan, I leave the army in your hands! Have the entire army pack up and head to Trnnhl-Ye. Shirou, I need you to gather all of my warriors, not the volunteers and the levies, and head fast as possible! Trinnhl-Ye is under siege by the Revyolan!" I ordered. Iskan saluted and Shirou was already off to dish out orders.

"What about you?" Candy asked me.

"Somebody's got to keep that city intact before this army gets there," I replied before I ran.

Soon, I was a blur to most of the volunteers and levies as I zoomed past tents, men, oxen, and stockpiles.

Then I jumped.

* * *

The Hereditary Mayor of Trinnhl-Ye was scared.

Who wouldn't be?

There was an army of 7,500 standing outside of his walls!

He looked down upon the garrison.

440.

If reinforcements did not reach his city within half a week, he and his city was doomed.

He knew of the Galburians, and thus, he knew of Revoylans. They were raiders and conquerors not unlike Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire. They raided their neighbors constantly and without end. At least the empire had the decency to not raid outside of war time or desperate times!

If he surrendered, he and all men would be killed, and children and women will be taken as slaves.

If he didn't surrender, it was still the same.

He really hoped tha-

BAM!

He looked to his left.

He couldn't believe his eyes.

"C-Chief?!"

* * *

"C-Chief?!"

I turned around and found the mayor of Trinnhl-Ye. "Long time no see. How are the defense?"

The green lizardkin mayor stuttered. "W-We've successfully barred the gates and removed any food that the enemies might scourage from the land," he reported. "B-But we only have 440 men here. Please tell me you brought the army with you!"

I shook my head. "I didn't get the news about the situation here until but a few hours ago. I ran all the way over here from Warrhl-Ye."

The chief looked bugged out.

This was understandable because the distance between Warrhl-Ye and Trinnhl-Ye was at least 3 days journey by foot.

"Then how are we to hold?!" he panicked.

I lightly handchopped the man's head.

"I'm here," I replied. "My warriors will arrive within a day and a half. We just need to hold out for that long."

Thankfully, it was night, which meant I could do a lot of things before the actual battle started, which would be tomorrow morning.

I sat down on the battlement and began to project Bomb Arrows. "This," I said as I tossed one over. The mayor and the garrison watched the arrow fall down and then explode. They looked at me in awe. "This will be what will keep us alive for the next day," I told them. "I'll make as much as I can during the night before I have to rest."

By midnight, I was out of mana and in possession of 800 Bomb Arrows.

* * *

**Interesting News around the World**  
**Ruto's Year 2 + Day 110:**

*Shellwraith Kingdom suffered a total loss. Their army of 4,000 and 30 A-rankers were crushed by Yylshuwan's army of 5,000 and 1 S-ranker. This defeat resulted in the complete absorption of Shellwraith by Yylshuwan.

*Duchy of Revyola's War Against Ironwood Clan started with the siege of Trinnhl-Ye.

*Kingdom of Galburia has signed a peace treaty with newly minted Grand Republic of of Galburian Adventurers. The Grand Republic is still at war with Tyronia and Kalevania Kingdom.

*Tri-State of Light has expanded after two separate wars.

*Duke of Queen, a duchy in southern Canterrius, declared war upon Titular Principality of the Red Drakken Flight over a claim the duke fabricated.

*Black Hand Imperial-Theocracy emerged victorious in their latest war.

*Nojar Khanate declared war upon Somberas Republic. Their reason? "Because we can and need land for the growing population of the tribe."

*Caladrian ambassador and the crew of the ship he rode were killed by ramming from Neutonian High Navy. This has led to declaration of war from the King of Caladria, Lelouch vi Britannia. He called Black Drakken Flight Hegemony into war, who called Laguz Alliance into war. Neutonia has called Norrure Kingdom to war. Expected number of soldiers involved is around 80,000.

* * *

**Omake:**  
**Green Falcons**

The M'Arkan Rebellion taught the Green Falcons one very crucial detail about life.

No matter how much they grew, they still had growing to do, and they were A- and B-rankers!

Despite being a very successful and powerful mercenary band, Mabus Fisher and his good-doer mercenaries saw scope of power they were still having trouble understanding.

Mabus remembered how that Ironwood chief took a hammer blow that made _sonic booms _head on and came out laughing like a maniac.

He shivered.

S-rankers in general, he decided, were madness incarnate. He had yet to see a single S-ranker whose personality could be defined as "normal."

"Sir?"

Mabus looked up.

"The duke wants to see you."

He nodded.

There was also another thing that Mabus had learned.

The Duke of Transyl-Carpathi, Christopher Zepolya, was a crafty man. Despite being younger than even Mabus himself, he had gained the alliance of a SS-ranker immortal troll who also fielded armies of C-rankers on demand. That alliance Zepolya earned himself only had the cheap price-tag of a barony that was mostly uninhabited and protecting the troll and his clan on international stage for a few months.

Scary, scary, scary.

After a few minutes of finding his way to the previous room where he and the duke held their meeting -where he was hired-, Mabus found it and knocked.

"Mabus Fisher, milord," he spoke.

...

"Come in," a muffled voice ordered.

He did so.

The duke was overlooking paperwork. He looked up and smiled. "Ah yes, Mabus. Come. Have a seat, There's something we must discuss."

Mabus cautiously took the seat offered to him. What did the duke want to talk to him about? He and the Greenl Falcons had already been paid, so was it extension of service?

"Mabus Fisher," the duke said as he pushed the paperwork to the side a little but at the same time pulled out a parchment from among them. "Or should I Mabus Shellwraith?"

Mabus shot up. That was a secret that not even most of his mercenaries knew.

The duke chuckled. "I had a suspicion, but please do remain seated," he said as he looked over the parchment. "It was actually easy to identify you once I knew what to look for?"

"Why would you be looking for me in the first place?" Mabus demanded.

The duke stiffened for a moment. "You don't know then."

"...know what?"

The duke pulled out another parchment from the stack of paperwork -how did he do that without seeing what he was looking for?- and slid the parchment across the table to him.

"Shellwraith Kingdom is no more."

Mabus quickly snatched the paper up.

...

...

..

..

..?!

A total loss? How the hell did that half-brother of his lose that badly? He knew that the king was at least a good fighter, but to lose the nation's entire army in one-go? What the fuck?!

"And this brings up a problem for me. You see, Kingdom of Shellwraith and my Duchy had a trade agreement as well as tributary system."

...Tribute? Seriously?

"It was something my grandfather and your grandfather had going on," the duke, as if he read Mabus's thoughts, answered. "I never understood it until I got the report for my duchy's expenditures and income last month. The trade between our two nations, you see, had been largely responsible for good economic growth to the remaining Carpathi counties I possess, but with the trade cut off, growth has slowed considerably. In fact, High Carpathi is actually experiencing losing me money."

Mabus frowned. "Wait, wait, wait. What does this have to do with me?"

The duke smiled. It was maliceless and calm.

"I can get you the Kingdom of Shellwraith back to you. It is your rightful inheritance after all, but in exchange, I want you to become my vassal and hand me the title to the kingdom. You get to keep the lands, the castles, the cities, and its people. I just want to title and the continued prosperity between our two nations ... or rather soon to be one."

Mabus stepped back, never having sat down as the duke had told him to. His mind was reeling back.

"Y-You planned this."

The duke's smile remained the same. Actually, did it just rise up a little at the corners?

"Of course I did, Prince Shellwraith," the duke said as he went back to reading the first parchment he had pulled out. "I may be more kind and generous compared to my peers of the world, but at the end of the day, I am a duke. Expansion is something I deeply desire. Hiring you was a necessity for myself to keep you close. After all, why would I hire a small band of mercenaries, no matter ho highly ranked they are, when I could've hired a large number of much weaker and much, much cheaper cannon fodders?"

Mabus felt his palms sweat.

"On top of that, my recent marriage to my lovely wife has unexpectedly brought me the alliance of three S-rankers in total. I now possess the manpower, firepower, claim, and allies to start the expansion my grandfather started but one my father had never finished," Christopher replied as he stood up and handed Mabus the parchment he was reading. "Should you sign this agreement to vassalage, I will do everything in my power to return the rightful lands of your House, the House of Shellwraith, to your hands and as long as you and your line remain loyal to me and my house, those lands will remain yours.

"Do we have an accord?"

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Arc End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 2 + Day 60:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 146  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 168.5(+924.5) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1854(1390.50(SGMII))  
DEX: 336  
AGI: 300  
END: 686  
INT: 237  
WIS: 260  
CHA: 204  
Unused Points: 29**

**Spirit: 40  
Magic: 25  
Power: 41**

**Control: 107  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): ? + 5,366  
Infamy: +5,979**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,** Stressed, **Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 7)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Berserker (LvL 11)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 5)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 10)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 6)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 91) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 66)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 28)  
Reinforcement (LvL 49)  
****Sonar (LvL 44)  
Time Decel (LvL 10)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 32)**x**  
Archery (LvL 37)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 25)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 34)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 39)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 69)**x**  
Charging (LvL 24)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 51) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 40)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 40)**  
**Fireball (LvL 16)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 14)  
Intimidation (LvL 51)  
Language (LvL 7): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 39)  
Mapping (LvL 22)  
Negotiation (LvL 17) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 13)  
Physical Durability (LvL 55)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 24)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 23)  
Teaching (LvL 23)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 47)  
Trapping (LvL 52)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 79)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **, **Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , Lizardmen, Earth Fairy, Orc, Elf, Drakken

**Warrior Count:** 769

**Total: **7,133

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,905

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame: **3,811**  
regionalPower**: 4.9

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.

**Vassal (Tribes, Clan, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 2)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 19)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 26)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)  
**Shashan** Sorrhl-Ye City (regionalPower: 1)  
**Kragnok Scorchscale** \- Scorchscale Clan (clanPower: 16)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 4.9)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +890 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 14)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 10)  
**Duchy of Nanamos -700 (Extremely Hostile)** (regionalPower: 89)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 7.0)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set ****  
Contract Emblem for the County of Upper Carpathi  
**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

* * *

*Guess New Nations will stay here.

The Great Five Dwarven Alliance by TheRagingMalestrom  
States: Kingdom of Simol, Kingdom of Riulmon, Republic of Mavubim, Kingdom of Azashim, and State of Charvim  
Government: respectively, absolute monarchy, constitutional monarchy, noble republic, feudal monarchy, and oligarchy  
Race's: All kinds of dwarves  
Religion: veneration of the dead  
Neighbors: Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire (hostile), each other  
History: The Great Five Dwarven Alliance is the remnant of an empire broken by the might of the Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire. They used to be called the Abamjul Empire of the Great Mountains, and controlled the entire southernmost territory now held by the orcish empire. However, this empire was broken up when the YCOE invaded the empire after the latter had been weakened up by civil war. The result? Only five great states that used to be part of the empire remain.

*List of reincarnated people: 

Lelouch vi Britannia

Senna (formerly Emiya-Matou Sakura)

Shirou (formerly Emiya Shirou/Archer)

Ruto (formerly Uzumaki Naruto)

Edward Hohenheim (formerly Edward Elric)

Alphonse Hohenheim (formerly Alphonse Elric)

* * *

Questions and Comments from readers:

**When will you use the mithril army you gave to Ruto?** You saw in this chapter.

**What does ironwoods clan fame compare? 3811 is just a number. How much is it in context? Does Galburia have 10000 fame?** I would say that USA would have several million in prestige. Azerbaijan would have 5,000. Tuvalu would have 100.

**Will Naruto make a new hammer from mithril too? **Ruto no longer need a hammer. His fists do more damage now.

**Will Naruto learn "Hammertime" and Endurance excerises from that new S-Rank guy he has?** Ruto's more concerned about raids, ruling, and leading than improving himself at the moment. However, even if he would, there is no point for you to know because you will read it soon.

**When will Naruto learn new skills? It seems slow going.** Again, this is the peak stuff I've talked about before and some of it is influenced by myself. You cannot grow at a exponential pace nor even a linear pace. This makes plots, stories, and games too fucking easy. Everything must have increasing diminishing return for there to be balance and therefore fun.

**Hmmm, I know there is magic and all that mumbo, but is using magicians the only long-range communication possibility, besides using flyers and pony-express?** As of the moment, Ruto is employing his fairies as messengers as you saw in this chapter. Long range communications exist -continental even- but those are details I ain't interested in sharing.

**Naruto has enough strength; He needs Agility and Endurance; he is too slow.** That's your good opinion, sir.

This will the last time I answer anything related to Ruto's growth. I ain't gonna explain 40 times. I already did twenty.


	69. Chapter 69

_**Heavy Freedom Arc**_

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 105:**

The battle began a mere hour after dawn's first light broke through the horizon.

As groggy as Trinnhl-Ye's garrison was, we had the advantage of walls, higher field, and the advantage of Bomb Arrows.

It's official. I love Bomb Arrows.

They are too useful for me to not love them.

Those of the garrison capable of shooting arrows took their position as the Revyolan army, which had few mages among them as well as adventurers, tried to scale the wall with grapple hooks, ladders, and siege engines.

As the army of 7,500 crashed into the wall of Trinnhl-Ye... we held.

Even for myself, the situation was dire. I was, after all, looking at death by one thousand paper cuts if they managed to isolate me and bind me down.

But the Bomb Arrows gave us the advantage we needed to stay alive.

* * *

I ducked under a hail of fireballs being flung at my face.

When the stream of fireballs stopped, I pulled out my projected bow with a quiver of Bomb Arrows at my side.

"[Rapid Fire]!" I hissed.

Ten separate Bomb Arrows shot out and landed at the frontline of the army. The leading siege engine, a covered battering ram, blew up after being struck by four of the ten Bomb Arrows. The rest went to claim the lives of soldiers trying to rush themselves to the base of my wall.

The other archers on the battlement followed my lead and began to shoot. Their aim was not perfect, but perfect was not necessary when the enemy army was too thick to dodge.

For good measure, I threw fireballs between each second of [Rapid Fire], setting whatever I could on fire wherever those fireballs landed.

Then all of us archers ducked as the Revyolan magicians fired another barrage of fireballs.

Hell, there were even some ice spikes being flung at us.

The overall battle, however, was going well for me and the garrison.

With no siege engines to help them, Revyolan Army was having trouble just breaking through.

Then a grapple hook.

I saw it hook onto cobblestone wall far to the left of the battlements. There was no one there to guard, because the battle was taking place a third of a kilometer away from that position.

I cursed and ran towards it.

When I was halfway there, there were already two human soldiers on our battlements.

When I reached them, they were trying to make their way down.

DoubleStrikeRapidFire!

They were all dead.

I didn't stop there. Immediately after the threat was taken care of, I crushed the grapple hook, tossed it over, and ran back. As I ran back, I projected more Bomb Arrows and slid them into the archers' quivers.

Then I was back in my position. 26 seconds had passed since I first spotted the grapple hook.

I frowned a bit. They had stopped charging.

My eyes widened.

There was a trebutchet in the rear of the army.

"SHIT!" I hissed. I pulled out the bow again and let another Bomb Arrow loose.

But it was too late.

It had already fired.

The Bomb Arrow destroyed the siege engine, but I saw the boulder fly.

I pulled the bow up and used [Rapid Fire]. Ten Bomb Arrow fired. Only four struck. It was enough.

The boulder exploded, but the pieces rained down. Some of the archers got hit, but only one got killed.

Better than an entire battlement gone and enemy army rushing in.

"Fire again!" I roared to the garrison archers. As one, we popped out of the merlon and fired Bomb Arrows.

* * *

We were out of Bomb Arrows by late noon. I simply didn't have the mana regeneration necessary to sustain the five dozens of Bomb Arrow production every hour.

By dusk, Ninety-one of the garrison had died from enemy archer fire. A hundred more were injured.

And on the horizon, I saw my Ironwood Highland Warriors.

I laughed tiredly as I slid down on one of the merlon. "Finally..." I muttered.

As they approached, the remaining garrison threw the door open. With Shirou -and surprisingly Candy- leading them, the Ironwood Highland Warriors rushed in and quickly situated themselves upon the defenses of the city.

The people and the garrison of Trinnhl-Ye sighed in relief.

I did too.

I stared at my HP and MP.

**HP: 895/1,093**  
**MP: 16/1,710**

HP was okay, but MP had struck rock bottom and had been that way for quite some time. Hours, in fact, because every time I had a smidgen restored, I used it to get another Bomb Arrow.

"Ruto!"

I looked up and saw Shirou and Candy make their way up the stairs and onto the battlement.

I waved tiredly.

Damn, was I actually experiencing tiredness? Why wasn't the Gamer's Body kicking in...?

... Oh, oh, never mind. It's kicking in now that I'm out of battle.

"If you guys didn't arrive by tomorrow, we would've been _screwed_," I groaned as I got back up.

"We rode as fast as we could," Shirou replied. "Those kodos aren't exactly the fastest mounts in the world."

I chuckled in agreement. "Alright, let's go meet up with the garrison commander and the mayor. No point dawdling around for no reason."

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 107:**

There were no assault on the city yesterday, but the Revyolan Army was digging itself in. Moats to hinder advances, wooden stakes to stop mounts, and nets to hinder advances. Nets in particular were laid everywhere from what I could tell.

Fools. Digging in was the worst possible decision for them to make.

I wonder what they were thinking...

* * *

One.

Fucking.

Disaster.

This bloody campaign was a fucking disaster right from the start.

Of the 7,000 soldiers and 400 adventurers, more than 1,000 of the infantry had died -which was a whole fifth of the total infantry count- and more than 34 adventurers died. On top of that, one of the dead adventurer was one of the precious S-ranker!

In one bloody, motherfucking, assclowned, fucktard of a day!

UGH!

Chief Commander Vol von Varius groaned as he faceplanted on the table before him.

His brother-in-law, Duke Sabastian von Wutteslog of Revoyla, commanded him to subjugate the Ironwood Clan.

At first, he was like "Oh, okay!" and then started gathering information.

As more and more information flowed in, however, Vol von Varius only saw his chances of actual victory steadily decrease.

Revyola had in their employee maybe 6 S-rankers, 4 of whom were field capable. They had no allies to speak of yet.

Ironwood Clan, on the other hand, had 1 SS-ranker, 2 S-rankers, and had 3 more S-rankers to support them should Duke Zepolya of Transyl-Carpathi come to aid them in war.

When he saw that, he knew he was screwed hard.

An SS-ranker? How the fuck was he supposed to fight one of those bastards?! Nations have risen and fallen when those rankers interfered in wars on a whim. It takes ten combat ready S-rankers to take out one SS-ranker!

So he had devised a strategy to blitzkrieg into one of the cities near the border to use as a staging area. By holding the city and its people hostage, he hoped to negate the SS-rankers' destructive powers.

He had hoped.

He had fucking hoped like a naive, fucktard whose assclown of a father needed ass-vibrations!

FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!

Vol von Varius didn't realize he was banging his head on the table repeatedly. The officers in the command tent along with him just stared nervously, too scared to tip off the balance that was the Chief Commander.

Why did his Duke have to send him to lead this campaign? It was fucking doomed from the start!

'Oh, I know why!' he thought as smashed one final time into the table, breaking it in half. 'Because he's a military-dumb-dumb!'

Truth be told, all of the battles and wars that Duchy of Revyola and its people fought in had been won by two commanders: his older brother, Xham von Varius and himself, Vol von Varius.

The fucking duke? He knew jack fucking shit about how to run a military let alone the detailed strategies and tactics!

Vol tried to calm himself down.

'Okay, okay, the duke's deficiencies in military setting has nothing to do with my own failures here,' he thought to himself before he now wanted to kill the duke's spymaster for not warning him about those goddamn _bombs_. Did no one in his kingdom realize that their enemies had far superior archer technology than their own?! Did no one fucking get a hint of that information?! It was the sole reason why he had been rebuffed!

He covered his face with his hands.

Lack of intel, lack of sufficient rankers, lack of good commanders outside of himself and his brother, and definitely a lack of sense, if this war is anything to go by.

What the hell was he supposed to do now?

...

Vol von Varius grinned as he pulled his hands away from his face.

He lacked a lot of things to make this campaign successful, but he sure was not out of ideas yet.

* * *

I really wondered what they were thinking.

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 108:**

I shot up from the bed that in the room that I had taken over from the mayor's mansion.

Why? Because there was a fire outside and people screaming.

I shot out of the bed and ran out of the room and then the mansion just in time to see a man with two shortswords about the end the lives of lizardkin guards of the mayor.

Without a second thought, I rushed forward with a push off the ground and crunched into the human's temple with my fist. After a second of just standing there with half of his head "soupified," the human fell down dead.

The lizardkin guard profusely thanked me, but my attention was elsewhere.

To the south, I could see the fires grow bigger.

What the hell was going on?

* * *

**Interesting News around the World**  
**Ruto's Year 2 + Day 110  
Part 2:**

*Siege of Trinnhl-Ye was a disaster for Revyola. Not being able to set up a forward base crippled their war effort. This news reached Northern and Southern Dynland, aka Ironwood vassal and Union of Liberty. UOL, despite having lost four battles to Galburia, was able to gain breathing room after using intense guerrilla warfare to dwindle their numbers down. Then they turned their attention to Revyola and invaded them, not that they weren't at war already.

*An elemental lord has risen in eastern Tyronia, rendering the place inhospitable with its fires and lava. Adventurers are being hired by all nations to take the elemental lord out.

* * *

**Omake**  
**Lelouch vi Britannia's Personal War Galley  
_Happy Cornelia_**

Specifications:

Armageddon-Hull (80 meters long, 20 meters wide, triple decker, 30 Exploding Bolt Arbalests)

400 member crew (350 rowers, 50 arbalesters)

Kitchen+Mess Hall+Armory+Storage+crew sleeping floor

History:

Designed by his majesty Lelouch vi Britannia to serve as his personal flagship, _Happy Cornelia _(his majesty's naming sense was and still is odd) is the largest war galley to have yet been produced by the Kingdom of Caladria. According to his majesty, there was a need for Caladrian naval expansion, and he desired to lead such expansion and technological advancement of his kingdom as the leader, not a funder.

Indeed, compared to other galleons, war galleys, and other ship hulls of the Caladrian Imperial Navy, this new Armageddon-Hull is monstrous in size and devastating in design. Before the introduction of this ship, naval warfare's long range fighting capablities involved very few things: mages, arrows, and occasional experimental weapons. The Explosive Arbalests are arbalests that fires a arbalest bolt which has explosive runes carved into its wooden tips. This has proven to be an advantage to the explosive powder-powered ironball launchers (or cannons) that the Frankish Merchant Republic uses, because the Explosive Arbalest Bolts only explode when they hit something at a certain speed and works in rain. The cannonballs of FMR do not explode, and their explosive powders do not work in the rain.

* * *

**Race Summaries**  
**Part 5:  
**(Chapter 35 for part 1)

**Oni  
The Horned Children of the Moon**

A bit of an oddity, onikin is a race that sits on the fence between the True Race and monster race. This is because while they do evolve from imps and other minor monsters, there are more onis being born into the race than being evolved into it. They are also very civil, calm, and receptive to culture compared to other monster races and, as of late. On top of that, onis rarely evolve beyond onikin. This has been speculated to be because of requirements being extremely hard to meet.

Onikin are one of the longer lived races at 600 years of average lifespan. This makes them a very widely valued race due to how wise, intelligent, and skilled members of this race are. A good example of this would be the current Marshall to Volreek Emperor. Imperial Marshall Takan Wonusol is a 483 year old oni whose strategic and tactical mindset has served the empire favorably for the past 450 years. He is responsible for the subjugation of what is now eastern Volreek Empire, the entire landmass of it.

Racial Trait:** [Moon Child]**  
*Grants onis greater power in everything they do (by a smidgen) when there is a Full Moon.  
*When it is new moon, they can't take advantage of this racial trait at all.

**Angelian**  
**The Mistaken Angels of Earth**

Often associated with winged angels in many holy books around the world of Andalusia, angelians are not mythical beings serving a deity. Rather, this True Race is a biological experiment created by the madness and the greatest magical mind of the early Andalusian(3-2) history and the founder of the Volreek Empire, Reman Volreek. They are a fusion of human ... and pigeon. This does not make them dumb, however. In fact, they are more intelligent than base humans, but they do share the more fragile bone structure of birds than those of land mammals.

They also lay eggs instead of live babies.

Racial Trait: None  
Unless you think flying is one.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Arc End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 2 + Day 60:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 146  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 168.5(+924.5) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1854(1390.50(SGMII))  
DEX: 336  
AGI: 300  
END: 686  
INT: 237  
WIS: 260  
CHA: 204  
Unused Points: 29**

**Spirit: 40  
Magic: 25  
Power: 41**

**Control: 107  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): ? + 5,366  
Infamy: +5,979**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 7)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Berserker (LvL 11)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 5)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 10)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 6)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 91) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 67)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 28)  
Reinforcement (LvL 49)  
****Sonar (LvL 44)  
Time Decel (LvL 10)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 32)**x**  
Archery (LvL 37)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 25)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 34)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 39)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 69)**x**  
Charging (LvL 24)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 51) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 40)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 41)**  
**Fireball (LvL 17)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 14)  
Intimidation (LvL 51)  
Language (LvL 7): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 39)  
Mapping (LvL 22)  
Negotiation (LvL 17) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 13)  
Physical Durability (LvL 55)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 24)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 23)  
Teaching (LvL 23)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 47)  
Trapping (LvL 52)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 79)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **, **Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , Lizardmen, Earth Fairy, Orc, Elf, Drakken

**Warrior Count:** 769

**Total: **7,133

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,905

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame: **3,811**  
regionalPower**: 4.9

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.

**Vassal (Tribes, Clan, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 2)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 19)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 26)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)  
**Shashan** Sorrhl-Ye City (regionalPower: 1)  
**Kragnok Scorchscale** \- Scorchscale Clan (clanPower: 16)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 4.9)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +890 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 14)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 10)  
**Duchy of Nanamos -700 (Extremely Hostile)** (regionalPower: 89)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 7.0)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set ****  
Contract Emblem for the County of Upper Carpathi  
**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*New Nations! Accepted through Personal Messages only.

da Tandinsil by kage88  
Government: Matriarchal Theocracy  
Races: All True Races, kobolds, and ventu  
Religion: The Great All Mother (Gaian Worship, organized shamanism)  
Neighbors: Black Drakken Flight Hegemony, Blue Fire Drakken Flight, Confederacy of the Roven Clans, Somberas Republic of Unity and Power, and Bottensburgs (city-state).  
History: Shamanism has always been part of sapient history, whether you are a True Race or a monster race. It is, in fact, the 10th most practiced religion in Sector 3-2 or Andalusia! However, people generally tend to keep shamanism down low and out of politics and such, unless you are superstitious tribal barbarians. Of course, there is on exception to everything. For shamanism, the nation of da Tandinsil is that. Primarily focused on worshipping the mother earth, or Gaia or All Mother, they are a fanatical matriarchal shamanistic theocracy where men are second class citizens. Initially formed from a matriarchal city-state when the world used to know Caladria as the superpower, they have survived time's deathly touch again and again. In fact, outside of Caladria and Canterrius Empire, they are one of the oldest nations to exist.

* * *

*Forgot to remove Stressed. Did so this chapter.

*Bold traits are his defining traits. These traits are more likely to affect his judgement and action while others are closer to background codes in your computer that you never notice. In Ruto's case, these are literal.

*Unless stated otherwise, all omakes are cannon.

* * *

*As for those of you readers questioning how this story is a crossover, I would like you to introduce you to three things. First, a reminder to look at the name of this site. Second, there was a AU warning at start of story, so here. _**SMACK.**_ Three, I don't fucking do static fiction where the character stays same despite the fact that his brother died, his sister died, his mother died, he now rules over a huge clan, and so on. Can't you see the "Year 2" sign at the start of the chapter? That's 2 years plus mind, personality, and attitude affecting ability called "the Gamer" at his side. Do ya seriously think he'll come out same as before? Are you fucking dumb?! Aside from those, I want you to consider this: I've already fucking explained pieces of this all over the AU's and chapters over the entire story. If you don't want to take your time to read the AN's before asking a question, why the fuck do I have to answer your question, hmm?!

This is the LAST FUCKING TIME I explain this. You don't get it after this, too fucking bad, I'm done with explaining this shit.

This makes it the second topic to be added to "Last Explanation." Crossover-issue and Ruto's STR and END focus.

Remember boys, this is my story and my world.

* * *

*As for "evolution" of Ironwood Clan government, I suppose there will be. As of right now, Ruto's rule can be described as Absolute Tribal Federation due to the nature of his council and how Ruto himself carries the most power and the eventual final say in half of the things.


	70. Chapter 70

_**Heavy Freedom Arc**_

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 108 (continued):  
**

Iskan roared as he slammed into the human assailant. The human tumbled back before squealing as one of Iskan's Highland Warriors slashed the man in the back.

To think this would happen under his watch!

"Someone get those fires out!"

Tonight, the Revyolan Army had stuck a small contingent into the city in hopes of throwing the gates open. A patrol had caught them and managed to drive the humans away from the gate. However, the patrol was unable to stop the humans of Revyolan army from setting fire to a small granary close to the southern wall.

Even as he ordered men to put the fire out, he knew that it was fruitless attempt. Fire had already spread deep into the granary and most of the food were probably burning up.

Even as he smashed his shield and axe into the dwindling number of interlopers, he was scared of what was going to happen.

Food was crucial to war. It was something he had learned from Small Chief Shirou.

The "Educator" of Ironwood Clan had driven into Iskan's brain the necessity of food. During peace time, food was plentiful, so no one cared. During war, food was a commodity on equal footing with iron, gold, and weapons. If one starves an enemy castle during a siege, they can win the castle without a single man lost.

Iskan was fearing a siege where he, his men, and the people of this city were going to starve.

All he could do was become more vigorous in his ... executions of the interlopers.

'Shit, shit, shit!' he hissed mentally.

Then what about the reaction of his Chief? How was he going to face the Chief's disappointment when Chief learns that he let this happen under his watch?

For a troll, his chief was generous and kind, so no harm would come to Iskan from the Chief. There would be a stare of disappointment, though, and somehow, the thought of disappointing the Chief was worse than physically being punished for his failures.

The lizardkin of this city would not be as kind.

"Iskan, report."

He froze up.

* * *

I frowned when Iskan didn't turn around or respond for a few seconds. 'Was there something wrong?' I thought. 'did someone he care for a lot just die?'

Then abruptly, Iskan threw himself down as he knelt. "Chief, I have failed you by letting the Revyolan saboteurs into our city!"

I reeled a little mentally.

Okay, what the fuck? Why was he acting so gravely?

"Bah, it was bound to happen with the lack of any advances they had. Get up and tell me about the fire."

If anything, Iskan seemed to sink deeper into the ground.

"...We were able to push the saboteurs away from the gates, but ... they set fire ..."

"Okay. Seriou-"

"To the granaries."

I froze.

Wait, what?

I snapped my head towards the fire.

... Oh shit.

I didn't bring any food with me.

"Iskan, inform Shirou that he'll be in charge of defending this city from now on. Got it?"

"Yes, Chief."

Soon, I was out of the gate and heading out. I had to go back to Ironwood City to pick up supplies for the city, or the city was going to starve. "I'm going back to Ironwood City to get food!"

* * *

When Shirou heard about the fire after he had come rushing out, he too realized the sudden direness of the situation.

"How much food do we have left?" he asked of the mayor.

"There is just one another storage of the same size and same quantity of food stored on the other side of the city," the mayor dutifully replied. "But at most, we can feed the city and the army you have with you for half a week."

Shirou thought about it.

The main levy army was going to be arriving within two days. While the Ironwood Army had brought enough food to last them a whole seven months, the same could not said for most of the levies; most of them had come expecting to be fed by Ruto and his suppliers from the get-go.

Which meant that the few days that Ruto and his army had already been at Warrhl-Ye, they were already using more of their foodstuff than they had expected, and they had to leave even before the supply caravan that Ruto had sent for had arrived from Ironwood.

That was another thing.

Ruto was adamant about not storing food in his Inventory. His reasoning was that while he could carry vast quantities of food, if he were to be separated from the army for more than few days, it would be disastrous. Shirou conceded as he too agreed (somewhat) with Ruto's assessment with himself being the bread carrier.

... Or Ruto just didn't want to be the one handing out food every single day.

Still, it was better to be sorry than not. The fact that Ruto had to come to Trinnhl-Ye far ahead of the army for more than a day proved Ruto's point. He was too valuable as a mobile powerhouse to be tied down with the main army for so long, not to mention the fact that if the army had been indeed separated from their food source for more than a day as they had been, deserters would have started to appear immediately, and that was bad news.

Ruto did concede to carrying a platoon's month worth of ration, though, which was good.

On the news about levies and allies, Shirou did manage to get a messenger from Ironwood City alerting him to the fact that Duke Zepolya was indeed sending his troops, roughly 3,000 men, to bolster Ironwood's army. From Warrhl-Ye, he got another messenger who reported the continuous stream of levies moving in. While the first army composed of 2,000 had been sent already, another 2,000 was now waiting command. He sent a message for the supply caravan and the second army to make their way to Trinnhl-Ye.

This war was not off to a good start...

* * *

On the other side of the war, Chief Commander Vol von Varius grunted.

While the C-rank and B-rank adventurers he had sent had failed to throw the gates open, they seemed to have set something on fire.

Knowing that those gates weren't going to be open any time soon, he called the army back to the base.

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 110:**

When I returned to Trinnhl-Ye, the situation had worsened.

I was welcomed by those stationed at the gates and was led straight to Shirou.

When I met Shirou, I was surprised to find the oni in a state of ... unkept turmoil.

"Dude, what happened?"

He glared at me.

"We've been constantly harassed at night. Those bastards are intending to wear our morale down."

I raised an eyebrow. "How bad could it be?"

"They tried to set fire to the other granary. They nearly succeeded every single night you've been missing."

"Yikes."

"So, did you get the supplies? The army hasn't arrived yet, but they'll get here by tomorrow."

"Yup, I got them," I grinned. "Enough to feed the armies for at least six months."

Shirou raised an eyebrow, but I could see him relax subtly. "Senna let you take that much?"

"She had been up'ping the production and living space for the worms."

* * *

Later that day, I went to the granary and dropped off third of the meat I had brought with me. It was somewhere around 243,000 units.

Although actually, Senna hadn't let me take that much. 486,000 units of trombo worm meat was actually half of the city's stored food and I knew that Senna was going to hand my ass to me once I got back to the city.

I took it with the knowledge that 12,000 was still stored in our city was enough to feed the city for a month and that our city's worm meat production (as far as how I saw) was around 50,000 units a day. On top of that, we were expanding underground rooms to increase trombo farm size -and thus more trombo worms we could farm. Senna told me that we were actually expecting around fifty to seventy-five percent increase in food production.

1 unit of trombo worm meat could be used to make 5 meals, 3 of which could be consumed to fulfill daily food intake.

Anyway, my capital city took in another thousand people and another hundred babies were born.

Geezus, talk about population boom.

* * *

Once I was done unloading the food for the army and the people of Trinnhl-Ye, I found myself wanting to get back at these invaders.

After all, it was only right to take an eye for an eye, eh?

I grinned.

It was going to be ... fun.

* * *

Shirou watched Ruto grin all day long.

Ruto was not the type -nor did he have a habit- of lounging around with a fat grin on his face for no reason.

He was planning something.

'This is new,' he thought as he continued to observe his liege and friend.

Liege.

For Shirou, it was a word that he had not associated with himself, but it was one that was becoming obscenely familiar to him.

It all had to do with Ruto.

Oh, Ruto could be a right bastard, especially when it came to leaving him with all of the work. He did it several times already. But he was a friend who listened to Shirou. Sure, Ruto did some horrible things and made a lot of mistakes, some of them which the entire clan could feel with this war, but he listened to advises his people and his small chiefs gave.

He stopped when Shirou told him that he went too far.

He was a good leader to have, and Shirou didn't mind being Ruto's vassal.

* * *

I snuck out of city at midnight after confirming from its battlements and with my [Sonar] that the Revyolans weren't going to be sending an adventurer tonight in an attempt to sabotage our food supply, not that it was going to work with me here.

I ran as fast as I could the Revyolan camp, some two hundred meters away from the outer edges of the said base camp.

Then I got to work. I quickly made as many Bomb Arrows I could. Once I had three bundles 20 Bomb Arrows, I threw them into the camp.

While these were arrows, they were also bundles, so they spun in the air like a vodka-drunken baboon riding on a rodeo, and watched as they fell and fell and f-.

_BOOM BOOM BOOM_

I cackled. Then I dove right into their base, dosing any lights I saw by knocking them over or torching their own tents with it. I killed a few and made sure they killed a few of their own before high tailed it.

* * *

Chief Commander Vol von Varius was stunned.

An assault?!

The three successive explosions in his camp drove everyone to panic. He could hear it in the camp. They were also fighting!

He jumped out of his own bed and drew his sword. He pushed his tent flaps aside.

"To me!" he shouted. "TO ME!"

A few soldiers and guards who had been near his tent immediately came over to him and formed a circle.

"Put those fires out and get those lights back up! We cannot have the base in disarray!"

* * *

I slowed to a jog and then a stop as I stared at the Revyolan base camp.

They were in such a disarray that I had trouble believing that they were an army.

Or were armies usually this bad?

I thought about what I should do.

This was an advantage for me. They obviously didn't know where I was. They didn't even have one fire out.

...

My grin stretched all the way across my face.

I ducked low and began to mass produce Bomb Arrows again.

"Sorry boys, but I'm not exactly the type to _not _take advantage," I apologized sarcastically, muttering to myself, and nooked the first Bomb Arrow.

* * *

_When they got the first fire out, the rain of explosions began._

_Arrows whistled down towards them by the dozens._

_The commander barked for all of us to duck._

_When the arrows landed, instead of piercing, they exploded like Grand Fireball that B- and A-rank magicians use._

_My name is Gwefed ap Apalli. I was a farmer who had been drafted as the levy of my home village._

_I was one of the few survivors who survived the Massacre at Trinnhl-Ye. _

_As I was saying, the Grand Fireball arrows came down upon us without mercy by the dozens. I heard the commander shout something, but it was drowned out by the explosions. Or did the commander die in the fire? _

_I never found out._

_So instead of sitting there, I ran. _

_I ran as fast as I could. I didn't stop, no I couldn't stop. All around me, fires roasted my comrades alive while the explosions followed my heel. _

_I know I shat myself that night. _

_The knights, adventurers, and the common man-at-arms were all equal before this ... hail of fiery baptism. _

It was war.

_I had never wanted to come to war, but I had no choice. _

_The world is cruel to the smallfolk, I tell you._

_But at least I lived. The smallfolk that I was lived._

_The knight that kicked me in the back a few days before the Massacre? Dead. I saw one of those arrows strike right at the center of his knee. He disappeared with the explosion that took out his horse._

_The noble commander who whipped me because I grumbled? Dead. Last time I saw him, he didn't have lower half of his body. And he was cooked well done._

_The chief commander who ordered the suicidal charge a week before the Massacre? ... I don't know. I just ran. I didn't see him._

_But the horror didn't stop there. As I ran, I saw a red skinned troll rise up from the river bushes. He then fired an arrow that exploded in the base camp._

_When I saw him, I knew who was responsible for all the deaths._

_The troll paused before he leaned forward._

_Then with a blur, he disppeared. He reappeared at the front of the base camp and marched in._

_I heard the screams begin anew._

_I turned around, blocked my ears, and ran. _

_I ran like a pussy, I ran like a craven bastard, and I am glad I did because my hands couldn't block out the screams._

* * *

And that, I told myself, is why you never, ever drop your guard in enemy territory.

I grinned.

I wonder how many I killed.

**[Battle Report of "Massacre at Trinnhl-Ye"**  
**Your Participants: 1**  
**Ally Participants: 0**  
**Enemy Participants: 7,500**

**Your Casualties: 0**  
**Ally Casualties: 0**  
**Enemy Casualties: 6,361**

**Prestige: 6,371x0.1(foot soldiers killed) + 100x16(enemy middle level commanders killed) + 200x30(C-rankers killed) + 500x3(B-rankers killed) + 1,000x6(A-rankers killed) + 2,000x2(S-rankers killed) = 19,737.1**

**Infamy: 1,000(Night Ambush) + 1,500(No mercy) = 2,500**

**No Friendly Casualties: +10,000**  
**Victory against Vastly Numerically Superior Army: +100,000**  
**Broke Enemy Morale: +2,500 EXP**  
**Enemy Casulties x10 Youres: +5,000 EXP**  
**Enemy Casualties x20 Yours: +25,000 EXP**  
**First Blood!: +100 EXP**  
**Persons of Importance Captured: 0 EXP**  
**Persons of Non-Importance Captured: +50 EXP per prisoner (98)**

**Total LvL Gained: 1]**

The first time I got a full out report like this, I gained 24 LvLs. Shows myself just far I had come.

I turned around. "You guys will come quietly and willingly, right?"

Behind me were 98 prisoners I had managed to capture for variety of reasons. They were also all shivering like those deer-squirrels Senna caught after they ate her paperwork.

Eh. It was time to surprise Shirou, Candy, and the rest.

* * *

**\=/ Akallas von Aerok \=/**

* * *

**Interesting News around the World**  
**Ruto's Year 2 + Day 115:**

*At the Massacre at Trinnhl-Ye, Revyola lost nearly all of its hired adventurers, mid-level commanders, and most of its army. Ironwood Clan quickly expanded into the territory held by Revyola. The war is pretty much over, and only official peace treaty signing awaits.

*The Great Five Dwarven Alliance declared war upon its northern elven neighbor, the Kingdom of Sekkisic.

*The archbishop of Akarui has announced that his nation will fully tackle the uninhabited zone to the east of their nation and fully convert it by the next decade as lush farm fields. This is being considered to be a demanding challenge because the uninhabited zone Akarui borders is home to reptilian monsters that even four century old drakken clans are wary of fighting.

*The war between Caladria and Neutonia continues with four battles won by Caladrian side and 2 won by Neutonian side.

*Tyronian Elemental Lord has now invaded Kalevanian side of the border. It is estimated that 10,000 civilians had been killed by the natural disasters like lava sprouts, fissures, and earthquakes the elemental lord brought. The united Grand Council and Tyronian adventurer forces managed to push push their side of the border.

*The war between the Red Drakken Flight and the Duke of Queen of Canterrius Empire continues with no real winners so far. Both battles that broke out so far has had no real winners due to similar casualties.

* * *

**Omake:**  
**Human-Human Interaction**  
**(When Juras first entered the Ironwood City)**

**(Again, all omake's are canon compliant unless stated otherwise and may even prove to be crucial to plot line at some point. I only call these omake because calling them "shorts" makes it sound like they are a short story, which they are not.)**

Juras had to ask again.

How old was the city?

2 years old, he got the reply.

He couldn't believe his ears.

2 years only?

He asked again.

2 years old.

He got the same response.

Everyone must be able to tell that he, Juras Managot the Juggernaut, the toughest S-ranker in the central Tesbalta continent, was surprised and shocked.

2 years was half the time it took Juras to train and create his skill [Hammer Time]. He couldn't fathom it.

This city looked more than half a century old, and the number of people in it was so diverse and busy that it gave the feel of a national capital.

Juras couldn't understand.

HOW?!

To shocked in his inability to understand the magnitude of the structure feat this clan of trolls, onis, kobolds.. hell all races, that he failed to listen to Derin(his guide and racial leader)'s statement that the city was built in the span of a few months and continuous to expand at a rapid pace.

But perhaps that was for the best. The level of shock and mental stress Juras was trying to handle was a bit too close to mental breakdown.

* * *

**Creatures of Andalusia**  
**Part 1:**

Trombo Worm

Average Size: 13.8 cubic meters (4m x 2.2m x 1.0m)  
Average Weight: 1,741 kg  
Average Food Yield: 210 units per average mature adult (±30 units), or 1,470 kg  
Average Lifespan: 1 year  
Average time to maturation: 1 week  
History: These little buggers were first discovered by Ironwood Clan in the depths of Upper Carpathi Valleys, where their numbers had been constantly culled by the voracious bullywugs, orcs, and other carnivores. These guys grow fast without eating much. How they do this, no one knows. It is speculated that trombo worms possess a magical nutrient system with which they supplement their diet.

Kodos

Average Size: 7.37 cubic meters excluding tail (3.0m x 1.6m x 1.7m)  
Average Weight: 2,890.3 kg  
Average Food Yield: 100 units per average mature adult (±10 units), or 1344 kg  
Average Lifespan: 40 years  
Average time to maturation: 2 years  
History: Brought to the world of Andalusia by the tauren, the kodos have become central to many parts of life.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Arc End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 2 + Day 115:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 147  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 168.5(+924.5) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1854(1390.50(SGMII))  
DEX: 342  
AGI: 300  
END: 686  
INT: 237  
WIS: 260  
CHA: 204  
Unused Points: 35**

**Spirit: 40  
Magic: 25  
Power: 42**

**Control: 108  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): + 25,103.1  
Infamy: +8,479**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 7)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Berserker (LvL 11)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 5)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 10)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 6)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 91) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 67)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 28)  
Reinforcement (LvL 49)  
****Sonar (LvL 44)  
Time Decel (LvL 10)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 32)**x**  
Archery (LvL 37)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 25)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 34)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 39)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 69)**x**  
Charging (LvL 24)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 51) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 40)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 41)**  
**Fireball (LvL 17)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 14)  
Intimidation (LvL 51)  
Language (LvL 7): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 39)  
Mapping (LvL 22)  
Negotiation (LvL 17) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 13)  
Physical Durability (LvL 55)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 24)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 23)  
Teaching (LvL 23)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 47)  
Trapping (LvL 52)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 79)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **, **Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , Lizardmen, Earth Fairy, Orc, Elf, Drakken

**Warrior Count:** 769

**Total:** 8,268

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,869

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame: **3,811**  
regionalPower**: 4.9

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.

**Vassal (Tribes, Clan, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 2)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 19)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 26)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)  
**Shashan** Sorrhl-Ye City (regionalPower: 1)  
**Kragnok Scorchscale** \- Scorchscale Clan (clanPower: 16)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 4.9)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +890 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 14)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 10)  
**Duchy of Nanamos -700 (Extremely Hostile)** (regionalPower: 89)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 7.0)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set ****  
Contract Emblem for the County of Upper Carpathi  
**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*New Nations! Accepted through Personal Messages only.

Dewfoot Valley by Kejmur  
Races: Halflings, gnomes, yordles  
Religion: Hobbit Deities  
Neighbours: Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi (Peace), Hlynovukos Grand Duchy (Neutral), North Kermania (Peace)  
History: Dewfoot Valley is a minor democracy country created by older hobbit races societies 200 years ago to gather small races in one isolated place supported by natural barriers which make potential conquest coming from one of aggressors far harder then it should be in normal case.

Hexa Syndicates Zone by Kejmur  
Government: Anarcho-Capitalism  
Races: No races are not allowed.  
Religion: Chaotic Neutral, Lawful Evil, Neutral Evil and Chaotic Evil Deities  
Neighbours: Kingdom of Caladria (Neutral), Uzukhan Khanate (Hostile), Nojar Khanate (Neutral), Confederacy of Roven Clan (Hostile), Somberas Republic of Unity and Power (Neutral)  
History: Hexa Syndicates Zone is really young (50 years old), and is a mostly neutral zone in which 6 main crime lords rule over. While these crime lords constantly fight each other, they are united in their effort to keep any true centralized government from expanding into their region or forming within their territory. In this sort of country gathered one of the most dangerous criminal gangs in Andalusia which specialize in several crime categories where the rule of strongest/smartest/most cunnings ones rule over everything else. As mention before there are 6 crime lords, which are mostly race divided (Makahr Ahr, illithid archmage; Lirdrill, drow assassin; Teeltolx Vaalm, bugbear juggernaut; Krognak Wugak, orc warrior; Claudia 'Vicious' Rutland, human pirate; Kerrashyra, drakken priest). While they lack a true government, the crime lords and their words are the law. Because of this things like "taxes" and "tariffs" appear as "protection fees" and "bribes." At the same time, due to lack of laws, it is a true free market within the Hexa Syndicate Zone and often times, aspiring industrialists, entrepreneurs, and immigrants find their way into this region, even though the risk to their life is greater than actual success.

* * *

*The sudden increase in prestige! This is because with this battle, Ruto has finally stepped onto the international stage. The adventurers he killed also count into his prestige, which is the first time it really counts into any battle report. However, I will promise to add the battle reports for all battles from now on for any battles containing over 1,000 fighters total.


	71. Chapter 71

**Despite the fact that this story has more reviews, the original story, "the Gamer of Konoha" has more views and favorites. Fancy that, eh?**

**Also, Derin Leviathan has posted a spin-off of this story centering around Derin, the human racial leader of Ironwood City. Lik is here: **** s/11915315/. Give it a shot!**

* * *

_**Heavy Freedom Arc**_

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 133:  
**

I stood over the siege of another Revyolan castle. This castle sat surrounded by farmlands.

This castle belonged to a lord, a count if I have the information right. This count was also the proud owner of a thousand slaves for his plantation.

I found the plantation belonging to this count a week ago. Had it been producing things like dyes or stuff like that, I would have ignored it, but it hadn't; it had been growing wheat. Shirou informed me that it was in my best interest to see this plantation confiscated or the enemy army might use the farm as a resupply point to harass us, which they have been attempting.

So I sent about a fifty levies and ten warriors to take over.

Instead of just a wheat plantation, I found a thousand slaves, a slave auction house, and a "monkey house."

Bloody hell.

I learned that this "farm" was a farm built solely for the "production" of slaves. They would sell young boys and girls in the auction house.

Then I fucking learned that the count was making a small fortune killing old slaves in the "monkey house." And how did he do it? He invited sick fucks like himself and tortured the slaves to death.

Dissection? Perfectly fine, they had a druid who could do minor healing to keep their "patient" alive for a very long time. Shirou summarily executed the druid.

Burned at stake? Perfectly fine. The screams of the tortured apparently brought more fucktards in !

Raping little boys and girls? Selling the "service" of those slave children?

Perfectly, bloody _fine_.

I burned the place down after rescuing all of the slaves. I detached two hundred of my own warriors to escort the thousand slaves back to Ironwood City.

After that, I turned my attention to the owner of the plantation, the lord of this castle.

Shirou was absolutely furious. I've never seen him that angry before.

"Fire," I grunted.

Iskan let out a roar of "FIRE!"

Our archers, all of them armed with my Bomb Arrows, unleashed a devastating hail of explosive projectiles upon the castle.

The castle's evenly layered stone brick walls took the hail head on. The arrows exploded with a cacophony that even from almost two hundred meters away, sounded too close to my ears.

When the smokes cleared, I che'ed.

It was a problem that I had run into ever since I began my campaign within Duchy of Revyola.

The castle walls were all layered with some form of protective magic.

Oh, my army can get through it. That wasn't a problem.

No, the problem was the time it took to get through. It was their only saving grace, in fact.

After I had crushed the Revyolan duke's army at Trinnhl-Ye, these slavers had less than a thousand army left. On top of that, my spies -mostly fairies- have told me that the vassals of the duke, the barons, counts, and the like, were refusing to lend the duke more levies in fear of giving their duke more political power.

Idiots.

What use was political power when I was going to have them all dethroned?

As I expanded into the duchy, I did exactly that. I found counts, barons, mayors, and whoever had been keeping and mistreating slaves. Those who weren't mistreating their slaves were given one chance to release them all. I revoked the titles of all land owners and had Shirou redistribute them between the slaves and the farmers.

Shirou let out a hysterical scream at imagining the paperwork involved.

Still, the people praised my army and myself as liberators.

Considering that 50% of the population seemed to be slaves, I think I'm doing well.

"Rapid Fire."

Iskan looked stunned. It was understandable, because I had to make all of those Bomb Arrows at night.

Thankfully in preparation for this war, I did recruit some of the magicians from my city to make the Bomb Arrows for me.

I nodded.

"Archers, Rapid Fire. Fire at will!" Iskan roared.

This time, the wall couldn't take the four second continuous rain of explosions. Even with the magical reinforcements, it was too much.

The entire section of the wall caved inward, killing whoever might have been on the other side.

"Anyone who gets me the ruler of this castle gets a bag of silver!" I roared.

A pause.

Then a roar as the entire army charged as one into the city.

"What has you so eager to see this one fall?"

I looked over my shoulder from where I was standing.

Christopher was coming over to my side.

He and his army of 3,000 had arrived only two days ago, when my siege on this castle had begun.

"This fucker had it coming," I replied.

I had run out of steam about this issue. Well, at least that bastard was brought before me. I had a little surprise for him.

"Enough for you to order Rapid Fire of your Bomb Arrows?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Yup."

"Wow. Must be some bastard."

"You can ask Shirou about it."

"...I think I will." With that, he turned around and walked towards the administrative tents.

* * *

He came back an hour later.

"What do you intend to do? he asked me. His voice was as grim as Shirou's voice had been when the latter had first learned about the slave plantation.

"A surprise."

"... Fine."

I nodded in thanks.

"...Oh, I think they got him."

The flags on the castle were being taken down and replaced with my Ironwood Flag.

"That was fast," Christopher noted.

I smirked. "My warriors are comparable to high C and low B rankers. No normal garrison can fight against four hundred such fighters. Anyway, let's see the bastard, shall we?"

* * *

I stood before the fat count, and my my my, was he fat.

He sat kneeling in the center of a circle made by my warriors and soldiers. They were all glaring at him, for I did not withhold any information about the slave plantation from my soldiers.

They were as furious as I was.

Some of the more arbitrary ones were here because they were curious about what was going to happen.

"Count Bero v'Quintus, you are charged with torture of civilians, participating in illegal slave sales, first degree murder, second degree murder, and profiting from suffering of sapience. How do you plead?"

"Y-You can't do this to me! I'm a count!"

I stared at the count blankly before sighing. "Another pathetic bastard." Without another word, I projected a sword. I placed the tip under his chin. "How do you plead, fucker?"

"N-Not guilty."

I grinned maliciously, my grin stretching all the way across. "I have reviewed the reports from your plantation and I find you guilty. You will serve as an example to those who would commit heinous crimes."

I drew the sword back-

-And then chopped off his arms.

The fat count screamed.

I took a thick spear from one of the lizardkin levies. "Healer!" I shouted.

A man burst out from the crowd a minute after I called for him. "Healer Skavan reporting, c-chief!"

"Keep on healing this man while I work on him."

"Y-Yes, sir," Healer Skavan muttered as he paled.

I grabbed the count's leg and shoved the spear up his ass.

The screams became a high pitch squeal.

The healer, as green as he was, began to chant.

I pushed the spear up his body. The healer kept him alive.

Then finally, it came out of his mouth, and thanks to the healer, the bastard was still alive.

"Woo, that took some effort," I said sarcastically before waving the healer off. "This is your punishment. I shall put you and the spear by the ruined gate of this castle. For a month, you shall be there for all to see. Someone will provide you with water, I hope, otherwise, you're going to die, fast. No one is allowed to help you or touch you for that 1 month. If you survive that month, you are free to go... If you survive that is." I turned to the soldiers. "Go stake him there."

* * *

"...Wow."

I just shrugged. "I did say it was a surprise."

"You think he'll make it?" Christopher asked as the army moved out and towards Revyolan capital.

"Naw. He'll be dead by the end of the day from the shit his ex-slaves are throwing at him."

"Oh, how come we didn't think of that," Shirou butted in sarcastically. "Not that I don't appreciate what you did."

I grunted. "What has you so upset?" I asked him.

Shirou stiffened for a second. "It's best we discuss in privacy."

I stared at Shirou for a few moments before nodding. If he decided that it was best kept to private ears, then so be it.

On the other hand...

"You know, this duke is pretty stubborn," I said out loud.

Shirou nodded in agreement and Christopher was a little lost.

"I know you defeated their army at your southern border, but was it so devastating?" he asked.

I see that he didn't hear the details yet.

"They call that defeat 'Massacre of Trinnhl-Ye,' something only I participated in."

"How bad was it for you?"

"For me? Just a night deprived of mana and suffering from mana withdrawal. For them? Six thousand out of seven thousand five hundred dead."

Christopher tripped.

I laughed.

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 144:**

We took over Duchy of Revyola's entire western and northern provinces and counties. Only its capital county remained out of our reach.

Problem?

While my army had been busy capturing castles, cities, and occupying the land we won, the Duke of Revyola had called in a favor and pulled in another party into this war.

The Grand Duchess of Sarang.

That was bad.

Why? Because the Grand Duke had over 10,000 infantry and archers combined, 1,500 retinue cavalry, 400 C-rankers, 100 B-rankers, 25 A-rankers, and 15 S-rankers.

That was beyond my ability to fight. Just for comparison, I had 6,800 levies with majority being light and heavy infantry and archers, 750 C to B ranking warriors, 3 A-rankers, 3 S-rankers, and 1 SS-ranker.

I had to leave soldiers behind on the occupied territories, about 100 per major city and castle, and we're occupying over 20 such locations.

That's 2,000 out of 5,800 gone.

With Christopher's army, I had a max of 6,800 plus 750 or so rankers ready. If it had been just their regular army fighting my 6,800 with me supporting them? No problem.

The problem was the number of rankers they had.

10 S-rankers and 25-Arankers were enough to fight me and the rest of the other S-rankers and A-rankers we had on our side. That left over 500 rankers left for my army to fight.

If we fought? If the battle lasted more than a few hours, then I could squash the S-rankers and go to help the army, but even then, it would be 6,800 plus 750 rankers fighting 11,500 plus 500 rankers.

I highly doubted the battle was going to last that long before one of our side would have to retreat. It was a battle that would favor the enemy ...

If we fought assuming that one of my levy soldier was equal to their levy soldier.

If we fought assuming that all of my levy armies fought as same as those of Sarang or Revyolan.

If we fought assuming that we did not have any other special help from our side.

I grinned.

_But what if I changed even one of those assumptions?_

* * *

**\=/ Akallas von Aerok \=/**

* * *

**Interesting News around the World**  
**Ruto's Year 2 + Day 150:**

*Frankish Merchant Republic broke up into its minor states after a massive scandal destabilized the credibility of its central government. They withdrew from all conflicts they had been previously part of.

*Ironwood-Revyola War has a new participant; the Grand Duchess of Sarang joined the Revyolan side of the war. This has changed the scale, and the two sides are now on even footing. No one knows who will win. On their way to support Revyola, the Sarang Army drove out the Union of Liberty presence in Revyolan lands.

*Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire is suffering from a economical repression with the loss of their economical heartland in Kermania. On top of that, smaller rebellions are popping up all over the empire after the loss of most of their army and funds.

*Lelouch vi Britannia won a decisive victory against Kingdom of Neutonia, demolishing their entire navy into the watery abyss at Vo Harbor of Carrilo. Kingdom of Neutonia surrendered unconditionally. vi Britannia took Neutonian capital and its surrounding provinces as compensation for the years of piracy the Kingdom of Caladria had suffered from Neutonian pirates while the warlord of Norrure Kingdom was forced to release his previous conquest to independence.

* * *

**Omake 1:**  
**Necropolis Policy Making **

I, Balthazar Blake, had ... many issues.

But one that stood above them all was the fact that there were idiots in the ranks of Necropolis.

They wanted new laws about allowing necromancers to chop up living animals for ingredients when we can just _buy them_.

They wanted new laws about removing basic rights from non-citizens.

They wanted new laws about giving necromancers more power over citizens.

They wanted new laws about kicking me out of my rightful throne!

They wanted.

They wanted.

They wanted!

I got pissed off at one point, I think, because yesterday, there were 19 such idiots. Today, I had 0. Fancy that!

* * *

**Omake 2:**  
**Trombo Worm Farming**

Boman, son of Sohan, whistled as he rounded up the trombo worm eggs into a small confluent pile. This was no easy job, however. A trombo worm laid more than a thousand eggs when matured, and it was his job to take care of, clean, feed, and round up eggs from trombo mother #3 and #4; he had to gather up a minimum two thousand eggs.

That's 2,000 eggs per _day_. Thank the Lord of Light that he had two others working with him.

Then he had to move the eggs from the trombo underground ranches to the surface egg nurseries.

Well, not all of them.

The thing about the trombo egg was that if left out in the cold before it starts its development, the development never starts, and all that is left in the egg is sweet nectar comparable to honey.

It was now a delicacy that the Ironwood City is exporting.

For every 1,000 eggs produced, 50 were gathered up to be collected in small boxes engraved with "cold" runes -as far as he understood it- and held at the storage here in Ironwood City. Less than a total of 10 were shipped to the Ironwood City Merchant Familia in Pset with five going straight to Duke Zepolya. Apparently, each of these eggs were worth a gold coin in Pset.

But here? They were less than five silvers.

Speaking of money, Boman couldn't help but smile.

Ever since he had decided to stay here, unlike few of his fellow prisoners from the Shkifield war, he had been living the life he had never imagined having. Food and water was plentiful for one. However, just because food and water was provided did not mean that he could just lazy around.

No, the law of the Ironwood City, as implemented by Small Chief Senna, was that while the Clan provides you with basic necessities, you will also give the clan a minimum of your time.

Well, Boman decided he was going to give more than that, and he was living happily.

For one, his income was now a fifty silver coins a month.

Fifty silver coins!

That was a hundred times more than what he had been living on in his home village!

When he got his first "paycheck" as Small Chief Senna called it -may the Lord of Light bless her-, he had been flabbergasted as well as everyone else!

She told him that he had received the right amount and sent him on his way.

He had been so happy. He still was.

So he whistled as he worked, happy to work for a city and the clan who took care of him and gave him a job where he could eat one of the eggs a day free-of-charge.

Oh my lord, that is egg is at least three inches long. That's mine today.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Arc End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 2 + Day 115:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 147  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 168.5(+924.5) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1854(1390.50(SGMII))  
DEX: 342  
AGI: 300  
END: 686  
INT: 237  
WIS: 260  
CHA: 204  
Unused Points: 35**

**Spirit: 40  
Magic: 25  
Power: 42**

**Control: 108  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): + 25,103.1  
Infamy: +8,479**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 7)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Berserker (LvL 11)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 5)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 10)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 6)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 91) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 67)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 28)  
Reinforcement (LvL 49)  
****Sonar (LvL 44)  
Time Decel (LvL 10)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 32)**x**  
Archery (LvL 37)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 25)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 34)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 39)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 69)**x**  
Charging (LvL 24)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 51) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 40)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 41)**  
**Fireball (LvL 17)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 14)  
Intimidation (LvL 51)  
Language (LvL 7): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 39)  
Mapping (LvL 22)  
Negotiation (LvL 17) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 13)  
Physical Durability (LvL 55)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 24)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 23)  
Teaching (LvL 23)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 47)  
Trapping (LvL 52)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 79)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **, **Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , Lizardmen, Earth Fairy, Orc, Elf, Drakken

**Warrior Count:** 769

**Total:** 8,268

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,869

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame: **3,811**  
regionalPower**: 4.9

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.

**Vassal (Tribes, Clan, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 2)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 19)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 26)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)  
**Shashan** Sorrhl-Ye City (regionalPower: 1)  
**Kragnok Scorchscale** \- Scorchscale Clan (clanPower: 16)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 4.9)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +890 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 14)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 10)  
**Duchy of Nanamos -700 (Extremely Hostile)** (regionalPower: 89)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 7.0)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set ****  
Contract Emblem for the County of Upper Carpathi  
**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*New Nations! Accepted through Personal Messages only.

Republic of New London by Alucard Bellsing  
Government: direct democratic republic  
Religion: No State Religion  
Neighbors: Wo'Gaka Giant Clan, White Fire Drakken Kingdom, Taurica, County of Ahmzhan  
Races: any that can follow the laws  
History: Republic of London is an old nation. Not as old as the Kingdom of Caladria, Black Drakken Flight Hegemony, Bottensburg, or Suh Dynasty, but still old. Its record say that it was founded by three individuals: elven lord Ada Kashil, human merchant prince Blaise Z'Ambon, and human archmage Harry Potter. They founded the republic on three principles: safety of life, safety of happiness, and safety of mind. Unsurprisingly, the republic was a concept that was new at the time, and it was besieged by all sides. When archmage Potter was active, this was no issue; the man wielded Death as weapon. However after he disappeared, the republic had a need for more soldiers and magicians. To that end and to now, they have a militaristic society where all citizens of the republic are both civilian and soldier. There is rumor that Archmage Potter is still alive.

Ba'Plaigia Kingdom of Giants by Kejmur  
Government: tribal confederacy  
Religion: Shamanism  
Neighbors: White Fire Drakken Kingdom, County of Ahmzhan, Wo'Gaka Giant Clan, Raic-Duhlsi Vampiric Republic, Thornscorch Drakken Clan  
Races: Titans, giants, orcs, trolls, and humans  
History: A warring kingdom, Ba'Plaigia has fought for its kings of Titans, a race of extra large giants, for nearly five hundred years. However, due to the slow reproduction cycle of both the giants and the titans, they have employed slaves to do their bidding. This has caused issues with all of its neighbors, and this has led to a halt in the titan kingdom's expansion.

Revulpos Shogunate by Kejmur  
Government: Shogunate  
Religion: Veneration of Red War God, veneration of ancestors  
Neighbors: Hazhi Kingdom, Suh Dynasty, Norrure Kingdom  
Races: Human, beastkin, low level elementals  
History: The shogunate has been independent for less than two hundred years. Their independence was caused by the cultural frictions the regions of the shogunate constantly had with its Suh Dynasty rulers. Suh Dynasty just gave up on them and gave them their peaceful, long-sought independence. However, the shogunate remains viligant. It works with both of the giants to its south and north while keeping a steady and friendly alliance with the Hazhi Kingdom to its west to secure its independence.

* * *

*There will be others who are physically stronger than Ruto.

*Trombo worms are very, very big.

*Most of the engineers of the clan are currently the grey dwarves of the Dhan'Thal tribe.


	72. Chapter 72

_**Heavy Freedom Arc**_

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 151:  
**

Fairy scouts just reported in.

The Sarang Army was only fifty kilometers away.

The battle was going to break out today.

I nodded to the fairies and watched the leave my tent. Then I gathered my thoughts and composed myself. Finally prepared after what felt like hours, I stood up and pushed the flaps aside.

As I walked out into the daylight, I saw the soldiers and warriors around me salute and then go back to their work.

That was good. I would not have my warriors away from their training or eating just to salute to me. I'm not vain.

It took me a minute's walk to reach the command tent, where activity was already bursting and flowing out from.

Mid-tier commanders rushed off to get their platoon ready while top-tier commanders like Iskan and Shirou discussed tactics and field movements with Christopher's commanders. Christopher's men were easy to distinguish from my men; my men wore the black and white armor of Ironwood Steel while Christopher's men wore the brown and red

"Chief Ruto!" one of the commanders under Christopher exclaimed. "I assume you've heard the news?"

I nodded. "It's time to put the plans into effect."

* * *

Duke Quintus Cremonia al Reimoli of Revyola bowed gracefully and pleasantly pecked the knuckle of Grand Duchess Minerva erl Managot of Sarang.

"Welcome, milady, and I once again thank you for your support against the filthy barbarians seeking to destroy our way of life," the duke said as he rose up.

"Of course, Lord al Reimoli. It would not do for our lands to be soiled by monsters like trolls or orcs," she replied.

The duke was a tall and large man. He had bob-styled hair and walrus mustache. His narrow eyes and high cheeks along with other features made him out to be in his late 30's, which he was.

The duchess, on the other hand, was short. Tiny, if one were to be courageous enough. Barely two-thirds the height of the Revyolan Duke, she was athletic thin. Her curly blonde hair sprung as if they were spring with each of her movement.

This was the Beauty of Eastern Galburia, one of the most powerful and most beautiful of Galburian ladies.

But she was out here on the battlefield because she was also the Galburian Demon of War, one of the Chosen Champions of Red God of War.

So unlike the bureaucrat the duke was, she wore steel and mithril chainlinked mail armor underneath the top and back covering cotton fabric bearing the verticle black, red, and white cross of House el Reimoli. Unlike the duke, who only had a small dagger on his belt, she had a broadsword as thick as she was and long as she was held sideways on her lower back.

She was an intoxicatingly beautiful and fearful figure to look upon, despite her short stature.

But even as she agreed with Duke of Revyola, she had her focus on the enemy camp on the other side of the small hill and river.

She wondered what kind of an enemy this new player would make.

Duchy of Kan was nothing more than a bunch of war chariots hazardously put together with barely any semblance of discipline. The Kingdom of Galburia was a fractured army at best; their generals fought for only themselves and not their country. Duchy of Marcos provided her with the best fight, even if it led to their entire army being slaughtered down to the last man after they refused to surrender.

And she knew that Duchy of Revyola had the closest thing to a competent army ...

Keyword: Had.

She wanted to know who destroyed the iron discipline the von Varius brothers had hammered into the once infamous Revyolan army.

She wanted to cross blades and see who would win!

"...come. Umm, Milady?"

She glared at the Duke. "I'm trying to think here. Go away."

He scampered off like the rat he was. She scoffed.

She looked over what was to be the battlefield.

A river, a hill, and an unknown enemy. As much as she hated it, her army was at disadvantage here and that disadvantage would follow unless she could drive the Ironwood army back.

This river, the Arsaida River, ran straight through the entire Duchy of Revyola. Whether she went east or west, the enemy will follow her. She could split her forces, but that was a risky move, even with a numerically advantageous army. After all, if any of the rumor she heard about this Ironwood was true, it was that they excelled at demolishing armies bigger than them.

And that was a challenge she wanted to take on.

Would she break their record here, or would she become just one of many in their record?

"How exciting," she purred. "It was probably when father was alive when I last felt this excited."

Her personal bodyguards all shivered, and she scoffed at their lack of backbone.

But it was to be expected. After all, her dead father was none other than Zaraki Kenpachi the Human Demon Lord, the only human in all of history to face a deity-level demon lord with only his strength and sword ... and come out victorious.

It really broke her heart when her father passed away from old age.

'I mean, he was the only sparring partner worth fighting.' Even if she ended up as a pile of broken bones, crushed organs, and nearly bisected abdomen, fighting her 288 year old _human _father was the biggest high she had.

She just hoped that whoever this Ironwood Chief was better be worth the trouble she went through to gather her army.

"Otherwise, I'll be mighty pissed," she hissed.

* * *

Less than five hours later, she was facing the Ironwood Army ... and she had to be impressed.

For a nation that has been in existence for less than 3 years, they had a sizable army and well discipline elite warriors.

Actually, she worried about a bit about those warriors. Even from where she stood barely a kilometer away, she could tell that those were no normal elite warriors. In fact, their presence was comparable to the Blood Dragon Corp of Canterrius Empire, which was commanded by the Crown Prince of Canterrius.

700 or so warriors with similar presence as the Blood Dragon Corp, which was responsible for causing the downfall of two nations by themselves.

She could see how the Ironwood were capable of pounding numerically larger enemies with ease.

The level of power and discipline of those warriors _had no right _to be here.

So she grinned to the point where her cheeks actually hurt.

She was too fucking excited about this.

700 Elite Warriors capable of bringing down nations, and she was going to fight them. How would she fare? How did they fight? What kind of warriors were they?

She just had to know.

But ...

She drew in a deep breath and let it out.

She had to be patient and keep her bloodlust well grounded until she could actually cross swords with her enemies. She couldn't let bloodlust guide her actions.

Not yet, anyways.

She turned to the warhorn master to her right from where she sat on her warhorse.

"Frontline begin march."

The warhorn master to her right nodded before glancing at a card in his hand for a second.

_TOOO TOOO TOOO_!

As one, the entire frontline began their march.

Less than 100 meters away from the river, the enemy army allowed their archers to fire.

"Shields!" she heard the commander in the frontline shout.

Then the entire frontline exploded.

Her eyes widened.

WHAT?!

Then the enemy army fired another volley.

"CHARGE!" she roared. "Don't let those arrows get near you! Archmage Laman, I need you to put those shields up! Keep my men alive!"

The warhorn let out one low, heartshaking thrum.

The entire army of Revyola and Sarang charged as one.

The frontline, as far as she could tell, was already dead. There was nothing left of them.

When the next volley of exploding arrows came down, they met a nearly transparent blue shield.

But she saw from where she rode that Archmage Laman buckled instantly. His left nostril exploded as blood fizzed out.

"Magicians, support the Archmage!" she roared, then she turned to the cavalry commander. "Cavalry with me!" she shouted as she kicked her warhorse.

She charged forth and her 1,000 strong light cavalry charged forward with her. She swerved around to the left, avoiding the linear path towards the enemy.

Her warhorse jumped into the river, and her cavalry followed her.

Then silence took the battlefield for a brief moment, less than a second, and then an explosion greater than the cacophony of the first explosive volley of Ironwood Army rung out.

She snapped her head towards her army and grimaced.

The Archmage and the magicians were holding, but unable to fight back. Not after whatever had caused that huge explosion.

The shield was not going to last long. She had to take the fight to them and fast!

Then her cavalry detachment made it to the other side of the river.

"Charge!" she roared.

1,001 warhorses thundered down towards the right flank of the Ironwood Army. In the minute that it took her cavalry to reach them, the Ironwood Army's flank had turned themselves to meet her.

A hail of arrows came for her.

"Shields!"

Thankfully, all of her cavalry's horses had chainmail dress on top of them, and she saw most of the arrows deflect off. But the riders were another issue. Those too slow to put up their shield died as normal arrows -thank the Lord of Light that these were explosives. Did they run out?- struck them.

Then her thousand cavalry men cras-!

They had Pikemen!

"Slice them right to left!" she shouted as she turned her warhorse in its trajectory from crashing to parallel run to the enemy shields in the front.

The pikes the Ironwood Army's flank were holding against her were useless if she didn't crash into them perpendicularly.

Her cavalry responded almost instantaneously to her lead; most of them were saved from the pikes.

As they rode parallel to the pikes, and cutting them off at the same time, she sliced away at the unlucky ones in the frontlines with her giant broadsword. Men and women flew away from her bisected and gutted.

"GOMAN THAL!" a big and heavily armored troll in the back shouted.

"Huh?"

Then the shielder frontline... charged straight into her cavalry.

Now, had it been just a single line of men, then it would not have been a problem. No matter how heavy a man or troll became, they were no match for the weight of a horse and its rider.

No, the entire fucking flank charged at her and her cavalry with their pikes drawn back.

They crashed against her flimsy line like a tsunami. The shielders were using their own fucking bodies as ramparts for thei fellow behind them!

With more than a dozen _trolls _pushing the shielders, her horses were knocked over without an issue. More than a third of her cavalry fell on the spot, and the riders were trampled to death underneath the surging waves of soldiers.

"RETREAT!" she shouted. "WITH ME, WITH ME!"

Such unorthodox tactics! So new and exciting!

"She strike at their center!" With the flank turned almost ninety degrees, perpendicular to the center, and away, she had the chance to do so. But if the Ironwood's response time was anything, she had maybe one chance.

So her remaining cavalry men, as dazed and shocked by the new maneuver, followed her. They turned left and around.

This time, the Ironwood's right flank was not fast enough.

She and her cavalry rode fast and hard around the center's rear and sliced away at the men.

"With me!" she shouted again as she led the cavalry away from the Ironwood center's rear and to the left flank's rear. HEr cavalry didn't stop to kill more at the center and followed her.

Her sword took out chunks of me-.

She struck something and she found herself flying through the air.

'THE FUCK!?' she thought.

She flipped midair and saw her horse still running. Good.

She timed it right and landed right back down.

She glanced over her shoulder, and saw a really, really big troll with a shield big as himself.

"So you took my blow head on, eh?" she muttered. "Sorry, hon. No time to play with you," she said before leading the cavalry away from the left flank's rear. She made a large round turn and moved to strike at the Ironwood Army's rear instead of the frontlines.

Then something awful happened.

The entire ground trembled.

And then spikes.

'Gutting of Galiz!' she remembered as she forced her horse to stop. "He's here! The Gutter of Galiz is here!" she cackled.

* * *

'Oh, that cavalry was pesky,' I thought as I watched the cavalry commander stop her men just before they were about to be skewered. They struck hard and fast. It was only due to Commander Toto's brilliance in the right flank that they killed a third of the cavalry after they were dealt their own.

Iskan prevented deaths in the left by shielding the commander and his giant broadsword.

"But now you fight me!" I growled as I pounded on the ground once more.

* * *

"Fall b-!" she shouted.

Too late.

More spikes rose up from the ground and speared and skewered away at her cavalry.

She had to jump away from her horse herself.

"Danny!" she shouted in grief as her horse died from being skewered right through his head.

She landed.

And the ground was silent.

That was until her army crashed into Ironwood's frontline.

The sound was all too familiar to her. The sound of flesh and metal, metal and metal, and flesh and flesh striking as one in one giant cacophony.

Like as if a giant gong had gone off on the battlefield.

And that was also her sign to join the melee.

Without hesitation, she jumped off from where she landed and sprinted towards the enemy with her remaining cavalry behind her.

"Protect Her Grace!" she heard her cavalry commander shout.

* * *

Iskan roared as that monster of a human woman charged on foot towards his flank and crashed into them.

The cavalry followed right after.

And he was facing her straight off the bat.

She saw him, grinned maniacally, and swung.

He saw her, frowned, muttered "troublesome," and took the blow with his shield.

* * *

Shirou frowned.

He didn't have enough mana to trace Caladbolg anymore, and all of the ones he had traced beforehand were used up.

All twenty of them.

Whoever was shielding the enemy army from himself and the archers must be powerful. They took twenty Caladbolg's!

* * *

Archmage Laman collapsed immediately when no more of those monster explosives came.

Whoever was on the other side was a monster.

It had to be a single person and a SS-ranker. He recognized only one magical signature from those giant explosions.

Twenty!

That was twenty fucking more than what he, the Archmage of Sarang, could make! Twenty fucking giant explosions that could've wiped out a village with each shot!

"Bloody hell... Why do I... fucking follow her grace to... the battlefield..." he muttered as he coughed up blood even as the only healer in all of Revyolan and Sarang army rushed to him and began to chant.

He wasn't the only one, though. Despite the fact that he took majority of the blow from those explosions...

He turned his head around on the grassy field to look at the other magicians, some of whom were his own students.

Just like him, they had all collapsed and were being treated by field medics.

Many of them had broken skin, bleeding nostrils, bleeding eyes, and bleeding mouth from taking such a monumental task head on.

Hell, his grandson, the soon-to-be-archmage Jordan ap Laman, was on the ground. His entire body was shaking and bleeding. The old wounds the boy had since his childhood were all opened up and bleeding profusely.

"Go ... treat my grandson and others!" he hissed to the healer, who hesitated. "I'm bloody fine!"

The healer nodded and rushed off.

He groaned.

Maybe he should've kept the healer to himself. The numbing sensation was gone, and he could feel his eyes burning.

...He'll just take a little nap.

Yeah, just a little.

* * *

Too much, too much, too much!

Jordan ap Laman hissed mentally as his body tried to compensate.

After the third explosion, all of his mana had run out, so he had resorted to using time as compensation of mana.

Specifically, pain from past times. It was a spell that his grandfather frowned upon, but he had seen his grandfather use it himself after thirteenth explosion.

Jorden didn't know whether or not it was worth using it. He and the other magicians had saved so many, but the pain!

The fucking pain!

"Ow... ow... ow...!" he gasped.

Everything fucking hurt!

* * *

Shirou pouted, not realizing that he had effectively put the entirety of Revyolan and Sarang magicians out of commission for the fight.

"SIR ISKAN!"

His head snapped to the left flank.

* * *

"SIR ISKAN!"

My head snapped to the left flank, and my eyes widened.

"NO!" I roared before jumping.

* * *

"Bloody tough bastard..." she groaned as her opponent finally -fi-fucking-nally- fell over.

The giant troll who had taken all of those blows from her stood before her. Battered and nearly dead, but not yet.

She threw her arms up with her giant broadsword to deal the final blow.

Only to be struck and flung away.

"GAHHH!"

* * *

I landed right before the enemy who was about to kill Iskan and dealt her -

PiercingStrikeCrushingBlowMercilessExecutionDoubleStrikeRapidFire!

Instead of becoming mist like most things, she just flew away from my strikes.

Ignoring everyone else, I turned to Iskan.

He was on the ground, bleeding profusely. So many cuts!

"Get him out of here!" I roared to the soldiers around me.

Then I turned my attention back to the enemy commander who had dealt Iskan such blows.

.. Right, she flew away.

* * *

Minerva gasped as she held her chest.

That was nothing like what she felt from her father!

This was so much more!

She laughed with a bit of a cough as she rose back up. "Finally f-found someone worth fighting!" she cackled. "Ow ow ow..."

Then a red skinned troll landed in front of her.

With the same mark. She could see it where his armor and clothes was not covering his shoulder and neck.

"Hey!" she grinned as she pulled her chainmail mail to show her belly where the same Mark of the Red War God was. "You're the same!"

* * *

I just stared at the woman for a second before-

"Aw, shit."

"It's gonna be fun!" she cackled. She let go of the chainmail and the cotton fabric she had been holding up to show me her before she swung.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Arc End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 2 + Day 115:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 147  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 168.5(+924.5) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,710 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1854(1390.50(SGMII))  
DEX: 342  
AGI: 300  
END: 686  
INT: 237  
WIS: 260  
CHA: 204  
Unused Points: 35**

**Spirit: 40  
Magic: 25  
Power: 42**

**Control: 108  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): + 25,103.1  
Infamy: +8,479**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 7)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Berserker (LvL 11)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 5)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 10)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 6)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 91) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 67)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 28)  
Reinforcement (LvL 49)  
****Sonar (LvL 44)  
Time Decel (LvL 10)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 32)**x**  
Archery (LvL 37)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 25)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 34)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 39)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 69)**x**  
Charging (LvL 24)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 51) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 40)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 41)**  
**Fireball (LvL 17)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 14)  
Intimidation (LvL 51)  
Language (LvL 7): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 39)  
Mapping (LvL 22)  
Negotiation (LvL 17) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 13)  
Physical Durability (LvL 55)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 24)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 23)  
Teaching (LvL 23)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 47)  
Trapping (LvL 52)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 79)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **, **Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , Lizardmen, Earth Fairy, Orc, Elf, Drakken

**Warrior Count:** 769

**Total:** 8,268

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,869

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame: **3,811**  
regionalPower**: 4.9

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.

**Vassal (Tribes, Clan, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 2)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 19)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 26)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)  
**Shashan** Sorrhl-Ye City (regionalPower: 1)  
**Kragnok Scorchscale** \- Scorchscale Clan (clanPower: 16)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 4.9)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +890 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 14)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 10)  
**Duchy of Nanamos -700 (Extremely Hostile)** (regionalPower: 89)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 7.0)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set ****  
Contract Emblem for the County of Upper Carpathi  
**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*New Nations! Accepted through Personal Messages only.

Isle of Mytlanis by yukicrewger2  
Religion: "Does it matter?" -Head Princple Perseus "Grinning Jack" Jackson  
Government: Private school  
Race: "Can they do magic?" -Vice Principle Ann "the Queen" Jackson  
History: No one outside of the principles know exactly how did school started. When asked they say three things: Asshole parents, Asshole Fate, and Asshole Circumstances. After the founding though, the Isle of Mytlanis served initially as a great library that the two Jacksons stored their collection of texts and tomes. Then their first student, some nine centuries ago, came to them asking for guidance. That was the start of the School of Mytlanis.  
Faculties: 29  
Student: 18,905

Secrec Mountain City by kage88  
Religion: None  
Government: Electoral Council  
Race: Non-exempt  
History: Founded by a drow named Rosen, a slave at the time, the city lives in the abandoned dwarven city in the Secrec Mountain and accepts runaway slaves into their city. Despite having been in hiding for a century, they saw their chance at being a recognized state with the Galburian civil war. They waged war and earned their independence from the Galburians.

Greater Red Annawood Kingdom by kage88  
Religion: Shamanism  
Government: Feudal Monarchy  
Race: Night elf, high elf, elf, fairykin, minor elementals  
History: This kingdom was founded four centuries ago by a group of elven refugees fleeing Canterrius Empire's southern expansion, in which more than nine kingdoms and two republics were swallowed. They found the Oviu Peninsula in what was then mostly uninhabited region, where giant Red Annawood grew. The elves took their residence here, building high up on the giant trees (which has an average diameter of 599 meters). However, ever since the Great Civilization Expansion two centuries ago where colonists and adventurers began to venture east to set up their own kingdoms and nations, the Greater Red Annawood Kingdom has been at constant war with its neighbors seeking to cut their trees and homes down.


	73. Chapter 73

_**Heavy Freedom Arc  
"Freedom can only be tasted after you've bled for it"**_

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 151(continued):  
**

Juras Managot grunted as he pulled his hammer out of a poor sap's soupified skull. Against a S-ranker like himself, mere steel helmet was not going to work.

He looked around and found that the warriors and soldiers under his command were doing well.

He had been surprised when Chief Ruto had assigned him to lead 100 warriors and 400 soldiers to lure the Revyolan contingent into the traps they set up in the past weeks.

Juras was surprised because of two reasons. One, he had only joined the clan for a short period of time, and yet the Chief was giving him such a command. Second, he was a fighter, not a leader!

But to his own surprise, he was doing well. Not extremely well, but sufficient enough. With his own skills and strengths combined with that of the 500 strong battalion he led, they were carving up the Revyolan forces and pushing them away from the Sarang forces while the rest of the Ironwood and its ally armies kept Sarang army occupied.

"Just a bit more!" he shouted to his battlion.

* * *

The Revyolan commander, an A-rank Guardian Knight by the name of Xham von Varius, couldn't figure out why this battlion commander was doing what he was doing. His army was being pushed back and away, but a battlion third of his army's size with what seemed to be less than two S-rankers couldn't possibly fight against his army which held 40 A-rankers and thrice more manpower!

There were no cliffs in the plains, nor was he being pushed back towards the river, which was still behind them.

No, instead, they were just being led away...

"I don't like this..." he muttered.

* * *

"FIRE!"

The trap was sprung.

Out of the tall plain grasses, nine hwachas rolled out together.

They were all loaded up too.

The Revyolans probably had no idea what these were.

And then they fired.

Juras shouted at his men to retreat, and they did as planned.

The stunned Revyolan army quickly mustered their shields against what seemed to be a volley of arrows, albeit there were many of them.

Then some of the veterans of the Massacre at Trinnhl-Ye remembered. They immediately threw their shields away and ran.

Their enemy commander tried to call them back into formation, but it was too late.

Juras grinned as the entirety area occupied by the Revyolan army lit up in one great explosion of red and yellow.

The resounding boom sent out a shockwave, and Juras found himself having to cover his eyes to prevent dust getting into them.

"Damn," he muttered as the explosion died down.

Damn right it was "damn." That trap just took out nearly nine hundred men in one go.

Juras looked at the charred remains of the army and the land. Then he ordered his battalion to turn around and charged right back towards Sarang army's right flank.

* * *

Shirou, on the other hand, was having much more troublesome time against the opponents he was fighting.

Engaged with three S-rankers with Roc and Rol, the two S-rankers who were brothers of Zepolya's wife, by his side, all six of them were engaged in a wild flurry of melee combat.

Shirou knew that he was least experienced of the fighters in melee combat personally; his past lives didn't count much when he had no muscle memory coordination to pull off moves.

He was facing who seemed to be a human rogue with a mask on his face. He reminded Shirou strongly of Caster. His style of fighting was also similar to that of Caster. While being a rogue, he also cast illusion spells that moved and attacked on their own. While their attacks didn't hurt or push him, the rogue moved between his illusions to strike from wherever he wanted.

Shirou had been able to use the "open-defense" stance to lure his opponent to strike certain points, and it was because of this that he had been surviving so far.

He left his back and front open, and he glanced back and forward.

Just as he glanced back, the rogue struck from the front.

Shirou quickly used Kanshou to parry the blow to the side and struck back with Byakuya.

Missed.

He grunted.

It was like fighting in the Holy Grail War all over again.

Roc, who was the archmage, stood in the back, and provided support like illusion dispelling and firing off half a dozen mana arrows to push the enemy back.

Rol weaved in and out against another S-rank swordsman, who seemed to be focused on using a rapier. Rol's sword, however, gave him a longer reach and he had little to no heavy armor, which was the rapier was best again. So Rol moved freely, dodging left and right, and striking whenever he pleased.

* * *

With all of these successes, however, the combined Ironwood and Transyl-Carpathi was experiencing high casualty tolls in the main fighting force. The sheer number was winning the day, even with the loss of fifteen hundred men to Juras Managot.

So the main army of Sarang pushed the Ironwood army back and back and back, away further and further away from the river where the former had the best chance of victory.

This was because if the Sarang army was kept close to a body of water, they would have no room for maneuver or retreat; any form of retreat or rout would result in a slaughter. At the same time, this prevented their large numbers from working properly; fighting in the river was a bad idea considering that soldiers wore armor, carried weapons, and riverflow hampered movement below their abdomen.

In pushing the Ironwood army away from the river, the Sarang army was giving themselves more and more of their advantage.

* * *

I growled as I jumped back to avoid a double slash made at my chest.

Who was this woman? '[Observe].'

**[Minerva el Managot**  
**Grand Duchess of Sarang**

**HP: 771**  
**MP: 771**

**Race: Quarter-Elf, Half-Human, Quarter-?**  
**Age: 29**

**STR: 1,934**  
**END: 590**  
**AGI: 101**  
**DEX: 611**  
**INT: 131**  
**WIS: 79**  
**CHA: 308**

**Traits:**  
**Strong, Arbitrary, Diligent, Blood-lustful, Ambidextrous, War Maker, Stone Body, Body of Magic, ****Cavalry Leader****]**

**[Stone Body**  
_I am stone, you are flesh. You breaking upon myself is but the natural order of things._  
***Effect: Lack of self-propelled speed is defense, but the opposite is true as well (ex: 0 m/s = -100% Physical Damage, MAX m/s = +100% Physical Damage )**  
***Effect: 5% of the damage taken when user has no self-propelled speed is returned to damager]**

**[Body of Magic**  
_As long as I am healthy, magic overflows_  
***Effect: MP Reserve is always full**  
***Effect: MP Reserve has same number of points as HP]**

And I thought I had some overpowered abilities. This basically made her a tank as long as she didn't move, and if she is not moving and takes no physical damage from me, she had infinite mana.

Then I realized why she had Cavalry Leader AFTER Stone Body; her horse was moving, not her!

But she didn't have her horse now, and I was certainly capable of magic damage.

I lit my hands on fire.

She narrowed her eyes.

"You're a magician?"

I grinned. "Naw. I just know a few tricks."

She stared at me for a moment before she grinned too. "I know a few tricks too. Like this! [Demon Lord's Earth Shattering]!" she roared and stomped down.

There was a pause.

Then the entire battlefield rumbled.

Soon, thick pillars of stone -thicker than the average house in Ironwood City- were shooting out of the ground, taking anyone that had been on top of them straight into the sky.

Then the ground began to dip, swerve, and rippled.

I jumped onto one of the pillars moving slowly into the sky and held on tight.

I looked around and saw that it was happening all over the battlefield.

I grimaced.

A lot of my people were going to die.

Finally it stopped.

The entire battlefield and beyond had changed. What was once a plain with a river running through it now was some sort of stony field where there were many steps up and down, where pillars rose to the sky or not even up to my waist.

"What the fuck?"

Minerva grinned. "I made it more fun to fight here! So let's fight!"

To my surprise, she _abandoned _her best advantage and charged at me.

As in she jumped off with enough strength on par with mine to make a crater on the stony ground.

I didn't think -I just moved my hands and roll called the skills.

_ReinforcementCrushingBlowPiercingStrikeDoubleStrikeRapidFire_!

I met her sword head on with my fists.

Immediately, my knuckles exploded in blood and her sword flew off, bent beyond repair.

"Well damn," she muttered.

I didn't stop. I sent another skill chain and struck her in the chest with all twenty strikes.

She took the blow head on.

The blow connected with a resounding boom as if a bomb had gone off before she flew backward like a cartwheeling ragdoll. She crashed through a stone pillar before cratering on the second pillar on the other side with her body alone.

Then she laughed.

"Khahahaha!" she cackled. "Finally, fucking finally! Someone who can match my father blow! Finally, I found you!"

... Was she crazy?

She pushed herself out of the crater and stood still. She bent her knees and-.

Clapped her hands?

Slowly, she spread them apart, and to my utter surprise, a yellow light appeared between them. It was slightly curved, not straight. What was -

Oh, it's a sword.

She snapped her right hand down and grabbed the light and pulled the rest of the sword out of wherever she had been keeping them.

"[Observe]," I muttered.

**[Sun Lance of Greater Canterrius**  
**Quality: Legendary+**  
***Effect: Absolutely no weight. Imagine swinging a imaginary sword, it has exactly that much weight.**  
***Effect: (Power + Magic + Spirit) Magic Damage**  
**History: The Sun Lance of Greater Canterrius is one of the legendary weapons of the civilization buried in the Great Devastation Sea. The creation of this weapon is shrouded in mystery as is its purpose. It is named as it is because the first person in recorded history to have wielded it was the Third King of Canterrius Kingdom, who was responsible for doubling his kingdom's territory.]**

But that's a blood sword!

I used Observe again to see her Power, Magic, and Spirit.

**Power: 91**  
**Magic: 10**  
**Spirit: 78**

So ... 179 per hit.

Shit.

"Take flight, Canterrius!" she roared.

She thrusted her sp- ohholymotherfuckinglord! I screamed mentally as I snapped my head out of the sound barrier breaking extension speed of the lance. The lance pierced through the pillar I had been holding onto. Seeing it so close to me, I tried to grab it.

I winced and immediately let go as it burned me.

"Canterrius only lets its master touch it, Ironwood Chief!" Minverva shouted from where she stood. "It burns anyone else! Which means I can do something like ... this!"

She heaved and swung to her left.

To me, that was my right when the spear was less than a meter away from my face.

I let go of the rock I had been holding onto. Less than a third of a second later, the lance swerved by where my hair was half a second before.

As soon as I touched the ground, I jumped towards her as fast as possible with two skill chains active for each of my fists.

The moment I got close to her, I added Fireball to the front of the skill chains.

Her Stone Body may prevent Physical Damage, but magic damage? That was a whole new can of worms!

I screeched to a stop in front of her before she could strike me, and unleashed a single second worth of the two skill chains.

Her chainmail ripped away while some parts of it melted.

She hissed and kicked me away as she retracted her lance.

I cartwheeled backwards and then used FireballRapidFire skill chain.

Seeing no choice but to move, she jumped away from where she had been standing just after her lance retracted to its initial size. She dashed around before coming to a stop and striking at me again with her Sun Lance.

The lance surged forward.

Then I had a great idea.

I lit my hands on fire with the Fireball and grabbed her lance.

She grimaced and I grinned. I charged forward while keeping loose grip on the lance to prevent her from striking at me.

She retracted it as fast as possible and struck at me again.

"Too predictable!" I shouted as I whacked the spear away.

She grinned.

"Sucker!"

And then she punched me.

**-600 Physical Damage!**

?!

This time, I flew away. I broke through stone pillars like they were made out of thin paper.

**-34 Physical Damage!**  
**-37 Physical Damage!**

On the third pillar, I came to a crashing halt as I cratered into its side. Dust flew up everywhere and the pillar itself keeled forward. I sluggishly dodged the falling pillar by swinging on my good left arm and into the air.

"Gah...!" I coughed up blood as I landed on my four limbs.

There goes seventy percent of my HP in one hit.

I stumbled forward.

As I lifted my eyes up from the ground to look at the Duchess.

I used [Observe] on myself. **[HP: 397/1,068]**. I know I looked shitty. My armor lay scattered around where I fell. I would be surprised if it survived that bitch's blow.

I used [Observe] on her. **[HP: 120/771]**. Her chainmail and the top fabric which rested on the chainmail had burned away. She only had her thigh and shin guards and a white shirt burnt at the edges.

She grinned as she aimed her lance at me.

'And she still wants to fight?!'

"I haven't had this fun in decades!" she roared and shot.

I lit my hands on fire again and parried the lance thrust. I charged forward once again.

Then she grimaced. "Ugh, fine, fine," she said as she suddenly dispelled the Sun Lance. This caused me to stop. I saw her HP take a dip as she dispell the lance. Did the lance have a side effect? "Ironwood Chief. I hereby propose a peace treaty between our two nations. Do you agree?"

... Ba-wah?

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 152:**

It turned out to be the loss of her army's foothold on my side of the river that led her to propose the peace treaty. I assumed she had some form of magical communication with watchers on her side, so when she heard her army lose the foothold, she retreated.

She whined like a little girl about not being able to fight me more.

Again, she's crazy.

I accepted the peace and counted my dead.

* * *

**[Battle Report of "Battle of Serrani Plain"**  
**Your Participants: 4,638**  
**Ally Participants: 3,010**  
**Enemy Participants: 11,624**

**Your Casualties: 1,706**  
**Ally Casualties: 1,119**  
**Enemy Casualties: 4,098**

**First Blood!: +100 EXP**  
**Victory against Numerically Superior Army: +50,000 EXP**

**Total LvL Gain: 0]**

* * *

**[War with Grand Duchy of Sarang**  
**"You fought her and lived?!": +10,000 Prestige**  
**Enemy Routed: +1,000 EXP x # (1) of battles won**  
**Enemy Routed: +1,000 Prestige x #(1) of battles won**  
**National Prestige Gain: +1,000 (White Peace)**  
**Personal Prestige Gain: -1,000(White Peace)**  
**Total LvL Gained: 0]**

* * *

**[Red War God Bonus (War with Grand Duchy of Sarang):**  
**+25 points to all stat**  
**+25 HP**  
**+25 Mana**  
**+5,000 Prestige]**

* * *

Yeah, a lot of points to stat. Now I had over 150 points. I would have to think about those later when I get back home.

Yup, I still couldn't go home because I might have signed a peace treaty with Grand Duchess el Managot, who promised to come visit for a spar, I was still at war with Revyola. I was not going home after nearly two thousand of my men had died, not with empty hands to show for their death.

Of the eleven thousand enemies in the battle yesterday, fifteen hundred men carried the Revyolan flag and had been all that Revyola could muster. With thirteen of fifteen hundred dead, they were officially out of manpower.

I didn't know whether or not the duke, who had gotten away from the battle, was going to hire any mercenaries.

It was for that reason that I split my army into two.

The Second Army, which Christopher took over and consisted of only his levies, were to continue to scour the country for any slave auctions and farms. The First Army, which was mine, was going to siege down the duchy's capital.

* * *

**Year 2 + Day 164:**

The Duke of Revyola surrendered after I threatened to demolish his capital city as I had done with Galiz.

Just like that, the war was over.

* * *

**[War with Duchy of Revyola**  
**Enemy Routed: +1,000 EXP x # (2) of battles won**  
**Enemy Routed: +1,000 Prestige x #(2) of battles won**  
**National Prestige Gain: +2,000 (Victory)**  
**Personal Prestige Gain: +2,000(Victory)  
National Territory Gain: Duchy of Revyola  
Personal Gain:**  
Contract Emblem for Duchy of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Western Mari  
Contract Emblem for County of Eastern Mari  
**Total LvL Gained: 0]**

* * *

**[Red War God Bonus (War with Grand Duchy of Sarang):**  
**+25 points to all stat**  
**+25 HP**  
**+25 Mana**  
**+5,000 Prestige]**

* * *

**End of Heavy Freedom Arc**

* * *

**Interesting News around the World  
Ruto's Year 2 + Day 175:**

*Ironwood-Revyolan War comes to an end. The Duke of Revyola was stripped of all Contract Emblems and placed into house arrest while the entirety of his duchy was added to Ironwood Clan's territory.

*Yoal Cohkman Orcish Empire comes under assault from numerous rebellions. The biggest of which are seeking independence. Of the empire's 103 provinces, 24 provinces have risen up in revolt along with 30 more province-independent revolts.

*Kalevania Kingdom manages to oust the elemental lord in its western front and takes over all of the former elemental lord's territory. Tyronia has demanded the return of its territories, some of which had been taken by the elemental lord. Kalevania refused.

*T'Vyrio Clan declared war on Greater Red Annawood Kingdom over an island off its coast.

*The Great Five Dwarven Alliance has declared war to its southern neighbors. This move, however, put the alliance's neighbors into banding together in a coalition.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 2 + Day 200:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 147  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 218.5(+977) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,760 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1954(1465.50(SGMII))  
DEX: 392  
AGI: 350  
END: 736  
INT: 287  
WIS: 310  
CHA: 254  
Unused Points: 385**

**Spirit: 90  
Magic: 65  
Power: 92**

**Control: 158  
Armor: 200(100)**

**Fame(Prestige): + 35,103.1  
Infamy: +8,479**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 7)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Berserker (LvL 11)**x**  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 5)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 10)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 6)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 91) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 67)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 28)  
Reinforcement (LvL 49)  
****Sonar (LvL 44)  
Time Decel (LvL 10)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 32)**x**  
Archery (LvL 37)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 25)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 34)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 39)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 69)**x**  
Charging (LvL 24)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 51) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 40)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 41)**  
**Fireball (LvL 17)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Greater Leadership (LvL 14)  
Intimidation (LvL 51)  
Language (LvL 7): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 39)  
Mapping (LvL 22)  
Negotiation (LvL 17) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 13)  
Physical Durability (LvL 55)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 24)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 23)  
Teaching (LvL 23)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 47)  
Trapping (LvL 52)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 79)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **, **Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , Lizardmen, Earth Fairy, Orc, Elf, Drakken

**Warrior Count:** 561

**Total:** 8,268

**Levy from Vassals:  
**2,371

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 7,811**  
regionalPower**: 4.8

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.

**Vassal (Tribes, Clan, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 2)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 19)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 26)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)  
**Shashan** Sorrhl-Ye City (regionalPower: 1)  
**Kragnok Scorchscale** \- Scorchscale Clan (clanPower: 16)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 4.9)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +890 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 14)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 10)  
**Duchy of Nanamos -700 (Extremely Hostile)** (regionalPower: 89)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 7.0)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Important Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set (Broken)****  
Contract Emblem for County of Upper Carpathi  
Contract Emblem for Duchy of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Western Mari  
Contract Emblem for County of Eastern Mari  
Vassal-Liege Contract with Free Union (Elric Brothers and al'Shavi)**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*New Nations! Accepted through Personal Messages only.

Gera del Cavasam Kingdoms by Alucard Bellsing  
Government: Military Dictorial-Electoral Monarchy (Rekai)  
Religion: Non-specific polytheism  
Major Race(s): Human, beastkin, giant, merman  
History: Once a group of kingdoms fighting each other over the control over the Minosam Islands, they united under the threat being conquered by the Volreek Empire's most famous conqueror, Grand Prince Agamon Volreek, the third prince of the 45th emperor. By uniting what was once a squabbling force to drive out the invaders, they were able to keep Volreek Empire out of their islands. However, returning to their squabbling ways was no longer an option, not when the Volreek Empire constantly sought to subjugate them to access the fertile lands on the other side of the ocean of the Volreek Empire and a desire to islands for their rich lands. So grudgingly, they stick together.

Blackheart Mountain Peak Kingdom by Black Magi  
Government: Racial leader council  
Religion: non-sacrificial  
Major Race(s): Elementals, Dream Walkers, True Races  
History: Founded by Tyr the Blackheart, an earth elemental lord, the kingdom lies on the within the peak of Mount Zayum'ol, which pierces through the clouds, where it is hollowed out. This place was once a unforgiving land, but once Tyr bound himself to the mountain and calmed nature down, people seeking to be free of worldly concerned came to him for refuge. After three hundred years of accepting refugees, Tyr finally declared himself the King of Blackheart Mountain Peak Kingom. However, all magicians of the kingdom know that Tyr's death would also mean the return of the former unforgiving nature of the mountain that rained snow and hail for months on end. To that end, they are seeking a powerful enough individual to replace Tyr should the need come.

Vestoria Emirate by ShadouRyu-kun  
Government : Emirates Council  
Religion : Veneration of White Wisdom Goddess  
Major Race(s): Human  
History : Vestoria Emirate is a new emerging country that relies on their Minerals. This country is made from 12 related clans of Landlords that reside between Canterrius Empire, Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire, and Great Five Dwarven Alliance. They merge their lands and become it's 12 Ruling Clans. Leader of the country will be elected between the ruling clans. They finally dared to start their own country Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire experienced large amount of rebels, which kept the empire attention off of it and on itself. The emirate also finalized a secret defensive alliance between itself and Carterrius Empire.

Pruterl Valga  
Government: Feudal Monarchy  
Religion: C'Thalas the Water Murder God  
Major Race(s): Naga, merman(slave), murloc, frogmen  
History: "We used to be the rightful rulers of the Great Devastation Sea. The mer kingdoms drove us out because we had elven blood in us. They called us monsters and tossed us out. So we wait and grow. We shall have our ancestral lands again. We care not how long it takes."

Naaman Nomadic Clan by darkerdeepdown  
Government: shamanistic council  
Religion: druidism  
Major Race(s): Windigo-human  
History: A man by the name of Naaman grew sick of civilization. So he sought to return to the wild using druidism and magic. Hewas able to change his body to the point where dryads could not tell him apart from themselves. He wondered the world, preaching his new understanding of nature,and gathered himself a clan of followers. Upon his death, his followers and their families migrated and settled down southeast of the Canterrius Empire, where natural energy was abundant in the ancient forests. For the past three hundred years, they have been adamantly defending their ancient forests with vigor and fervor that no army wants to meet.

Cult of the Pygmy Orc by Sakuranobaka  
Government: Theocracy ... we think?  
Religion: an elf?  
Major Race(s): Green pygmy orc  
History: No one knows. They just appeared one day north of Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi. While pacifistic, they are very vicious when anyone tries to kidnap their goddess, who is really just a S-ranked elf with one of the greatest healing abilities in the Tesbaltan lands.


	74. Chapter 74

**So I read the guest Peon's review. I laughed. This is my personal response.**

* * *

**x||x| **Warning. Vulgar words.** |x||x**

**Yo, nigga. Who the fuck do ya think you are? Did your assclown dick sucking mouth not have a filter on what should be said and not? Fucktard, I do I as please in my own kingdom. Who the fuck do you think you are _peon_? And what the hell is peon for your goddamn name? Do ya wanna be a noble dick sucking bastard? Who the hell do you think you are, you dipshit, fucktard, motherfucking son of a bitch who blows his own daddy? You ordering me to take something off? What the fuck? You think you can make me do anything? What kind of a retarded jackshit of a brain do you have, you ignorant, limp dick neet? Oh wait, you fucking don't have a brain, or you wouldn't be saying that kind of bloody idiotic shit!**

**Grow a pair of balls and review on your account, you goatfucker. **

**Oh wait, you also don't have the fucking testosterone to grow a pair in the first place, you jackass fucking bloody piece of shit. Whose blue vagina did you come out? Some slut downtown? Did growing up in the slums give you a sense of stupidity that I just cannot fucking comprehend?**

**Oh, I get it. I caved in a little to my readers early on. Is that why your bloody logic circuit fried and made demands?**

**Go fuck yourself, fuck your slut mother, blow your daddy's limp dick, and then go get yourself road-killed, fucker. **

**I don't need your fucking stupidity review here and making others think they can be a fucktard like you.**

**x||x|** Rant End **|x||x**

* * *

**...Yeah. Keeping that review up for maybe a week after this chapter comes out before I delete it.**

**Anyway, for those of you who decided to skip and come here, enjoy this new chapter. **

* * *

**Interlude 1:**  
**The Merchant of Ironwood Clan**

Sholva z'Retvoa could not help but be awed.

It had been a year since he last visited the Ironwood City. Then, it was a growing city with rich minerals that he had the sole right to trade from.

And then that infernal Free Trade Agreement.

The riches of Ironwood City, which he had helped to build and help them make the network connections in the region, was open for all to use.

All his work given to others.

Oh, he had been certainly gifted with riches after the Free Trade Agreement had been signed for the wonderful job he had done in securing trade routes from Ironwood City to many cities in the region _including the capital Pset_.

Man, had he been so upset that day.

In the end, his monopoly over the city was gone.

His first -and perhaps last- achievement gone.

So he trotted into the city.

His family had become jealous of the riches he had gained trading with Ironwood City, and once the Free Trade Agreement took effect and he lost his sole trade outpost, his family -mostly his siblings and cousins- used the chance to kick him out of the family.

Yup.

He was no longer a z'Retvoa. He was just "Sholva."

In the process of kicking him out of the family, they had seized his assets too.

Attacked from too many sides, his money gone, his connection gone ... all he could do was accept it.

So he had trudged on the only non-clothing asset he owned: the destrier, good old Jos.

He had paused on top of a hill, where he had first paused to look upon the then fledgling city for the first time.

What he saw there, second time on that hill, awed him.

The fledgling city, which had been only four fingers wide on his outstretched hand only 2 years ago, was now twelve fingers wide. In the span of two years, they had tripled the size of their city.

He gulped.

He made his journey to Ironwood City in hopes of becoming a resident merchant, but the sheer size of the city worried him.

The city in question was now a major hub. He could see that from the smooth stone roads that had been paved leading from the city's gate down to the bottom of the valley. Road laying was a major project for a city as new as Ironwood City, and it showed just how powerful they had grown.

He quietly urged his horse forward.

* * *

When he was at the gates, he was immediately greeted by the familiar guards.

"Oh, you're back!"

Sholva blinked. They remembered him?

"Uhh, yeah," he replied sheepishly. "Looking for a job..." he added lamely, at least in his opinion.

The two guards looked surprised. "What? Why? Weren't you the guy who's supposed to be doing all the managing of trading here?"

Sholva sighed. "That was true a few months ago. But after the trade agreement, I lost my job..." he replied. "May I pass?"

"Actually..." the guard muttered as he pulled something out.

Sholva wanted to groan. Did his siblings get their grubby hands on this city too? Were the guards told to not allow him in? No, if they had been told so, they wouldn't have asked about his lack of a job. They would've seen him and told him to leave immediately. So what was it?

The guard who he had been speaking to pulled out a piece of square parchment with an odd magic seal on it. He gave it to Sholva, who took the seal as he dismounted. "What is this supposed to be?" he asked.

"Ah. All people who have merchant training have to report to the 'steward,'" the guard shivered a little. "The magic there is supposed to tell the steward before you enter that you are a visitor and signing in with her."

"Oh, I see," Sholva nodded. "Wait, but why?"

The guard shrugged. "Go ask the steward not me. It's only been a week since she made that announcement, so I don't know much about it."

He nodded and walked onward.

As he passed the gates, he realized that he had immediately entered the market district.

He looked upon in envy and awe at the wares, food, and supplies being offered. He saw rapid exchanges of copper and silver -and even gold!- between the merchants and the commonfolk.

The people have become diverse as well. When he first came here, he saw trolls and onis with imps and fairies. Now, he saw humans, trolls, onis, tauren, draenei, orcs, devilkin, arakkoan, and even few humanoid slimes.

The way these people interacted with each other was also odd. They did not have the usual racial segregation in their body language or speech pattern.

Was this the power of Ruto? To attract and change people to this degree?

Sholva walked onward, depressed.

Perhaps he should have stuck to Ironwood City when he first visited instead of going back home to flaunt his first success.

The magic seal made a beeping sound after he had walked for some time.

He paused and looked around.

He had left the market district. He lifted the magic seal up to see what the sound was about. He narrowed his eyes to peruse when he saw that the magic seal had gained a glowing blue arrow pointing ... left?

He looked towards his left and saw a well built brick building covered with vines. In fact, the building looked as if a tree had grown around its side and up into the sky.

... Well, the tree provided a nice shade.

Now that he had looked up, he saw that there were many fairies hanging about the tree as well as darting in and out from the building windows and heading ... somewhere.

He tied the horse to one of the posts next to the building's entrance and walked in.

The moment he walked in, he was met with a very busy office. Employees of multiple races darted about in their green and white wool uniforms. They carried stacks of papers and parchments around. Those sitting in ... cubic space were busy writing.

It looked a lot like the z'Retvoan trade headquarter but much busier.

"Move, move, move!" a troll in the same uniform as the rest shouted as he ran past Sholva, nearly shoving him aside. Sholva was about to shout after the rude man when he heard a scary shout.

"GET BACK HERE!" something roared less than a dozen yards away from him.

His head snapped forward and ...

"... Lady Senna?"

There was a pause in the office as Senna looked to him. She frowned fro a bit before her eyes brightened. "Oh, Sholva. It's been a year since you last visited," she greeted warmly, completely different from the shouting and raging presence she had been just moments earlier. "What brings you here?"

Sholva scratched the back of my head.

"Ah... I got kicked out the family trade."

She frowned. "Why would they do that?" she asked then realized she was in open area. "Let's discuss in my office."

He nodded and followed her.

They made their way up several wide staricases before arriving on the third floor.

She opened a plain door and gestured for him to follow in.

He did so, and was immediately stunned by the amount of paperwork. They were towering! Perhaps no taller than himself, but that was a lot of paperwork!

"W-Wha-?"

"Sorry if the paperworks bother you," she said as she lifted a stack of paperwork from a chair and set it down close to the wall. "Ever since the trade agreement, the number of documents needed to be made quadrupled in quantity," she grumbled. "And I just don't have the time to do so between taking care of my baby and being in the small chief council."

Sholva lit up. "Perhaps ... I could help you? I mean, I am looking for a job."

She glanced at him before she took her own seat behind her desk, which also had paperwork towers.

"Tell me about what happened to you first. Then I'll consider."

It took a little less than an hour, but he was able to tell her everything. About the jealousy of his siblings. About the betrayal of family. About the loss of everything but his clothes and horse.

She stared at him for a moment before she sighed.

"You're hired. Make yourself comfortable and help me with all of these paperwork. Then we'll-"

Sholva reared a little mentally. Just like that, he was hired?

She paused and looked at him. "Oh, don't look too surprised, Sholva. After all, it was you who made us known to other traders. If your blood family kicked you out for that, then it's our job to take care of you. Besides, you're a bureaucrat; we need more of those."

He stared back at her before he let out a honest laughter.

* * *

**Interlude 2:**  
**Wounded Tower Shield of Ironwood**

Iskan grunted as he sat up.

Ever since the Battle of Serrani Plains, he had morning pains in his scars. He stood up from his bed, only to pause half way up when a hand touched his back from behind.

He looked over his shoulder. "Sorry, did I wake you?" he asked his wife.

Just a year ago, he had gotten himself a girl. Yanna was not "hot" but she was beautiful in her own way. She was kind and patient, but she had temper that reminded Iskan of Ruto. He wondered if Yanna was Ruto's birth colony sibling. Oh, the Small Chiefs congratulated and teased him about it to no end.

"Does it hurt?"

After a pause, he nodded. "Just stings."

She frowned as she sat up.

Yanna had a lithe body, small chest, and large hip. Her tusks were small for a troll woman's, but he didn't care about any of those details.

She was the best kisser, and she lasted hours in bed.

She smiled. "No sex in the morning, Iskan."

He shrugged before laughing.

"Going to work? Didn't Senna and Shirou tell you to take at least three days off?" she asked.

"... It feels unnatural to not work," he replied. "But okay."

She smiled, and he smiled in return.

And then the stinging began again.

He grimaced, wondering why he had run in to save a stupid boy that day. All he got in return was a big scar running across his entire chest.

...

Well, considering the human boy he saved was now a strong margrave in the Highland Warriors, Iskan couldn't complain too much.

'Might even take over my position a few years from now.'

* * *

**Interlude 3:**  
**Kermanian Issues**

Balthazar Blake stared at the map of the Kermanian lands, which included his territory as well.

The past few years had been peaceful. What with the Yoal Cohkman imperials fighting rebel on the other side of their empire, the Kermanians were able to do their own thing.

But for Necropolis, this had turned out to be the bad thing.

North Kermanians were zealots for the Path of Light, which denounced "dark magic" like necromancy, which was the main magic used in his Necropolis. North Kermania went far as to demand the disuse of magic. In fact, they tried to threaten Necropolis.

Balthazar, being who he was, laughed and then sent a contingent of his personal retinue of 4,000 Undead heavy Infantry Warriors to scare the shit out of North Kerman border cities. He had them return without attacking anyone.

North Kermania almost declared war over that, but South Kermania soon allied themselves with Necropolis, putting a halt to that war quickly.

However...

He looked upon the map and looked at the northeast where the borders met Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi, Necropolis, and South Kermania.

North Kermania had created a holy order, the White Knights of Kerma, and illegally set up base. But because the holy order had not taken any form of fealty nor receive official government funding from North Kermania, every attempt to diplomatically get North Kermania to leave was met with "We're not their boss. We don't control them."

The diplomatic scene was made worse by the fact that a lich had taken over a kingdom to the west and started a war with _everyone_. There was now fear among his neighbors that he might do the same.

Balthazar decided enough was enough. He took his levies, retinue, and magicians and started a purge campaign.

So far, he was winning. The White Knights of Kerma were pushed off his land and with the help of South Kerman militia, who had been suffering from raids from the Knights of Kerma, had killed most of them.

He tsk'ed before he tossed the table away.

He could've been researching or building something, but no~! Bloody bigots had to eat up his time!

* * *

**Interlude 4:**  
**Fall of Union of Liberty**

Edward sighed as his antennae hair pinged once.

He nodded to the messenger, who teared up and bowed.

This messenger was the fourth such messenger from separatist cities in Union of Liberty. After the extreme losses they suffered both at the hands of Sarang and Galburia, they simply didn't have the manpower. In fact, one could go far as to say that most men in Union of Liberty were dead.

On the other hand, his Free Union had been prospering under his brother, al'Shavi, and his rule. 'The Wise Council of Three, people callus,' he thought as he helped the happy and weeping messenger.

This messenger was from the border city of Archon, and were on the next in line in Grand Duchy of Sarang's conquest. After what he saw on the Battle of Serrin Plains, he couldn't fault this man for crying in relief.

The Grand Duchess was a terror to behold from the other side of the field.

Mere moments later, another messenger, a fairy this time, came rushing into his office through the open window.

He listened to the fairy and nodded grimly.

Union of Liberty's last bastion had fallen to Galburia, and with it, the free nation of Union of Liberty had disappeared from history as well.

Though it was unlike him to do so, Edward offered a quick prayer for the men and women who had foolishly stood with the Union of Liberty to the end.

* * *

**Interlude 5:**  
**Scheme of the Dukes**

Ever since that meeting nearly half a year ago, Mabus could no longer feel as comfortable as he had before in Duke Zepolya's presence.

Was it because he had been so completely fooled by the man? Or was it because his image about this lord, who was known for his kindness and generousity, was completely shattered in one conversation?

"How are the new recruits doing?" Duke Zepolya asked as he came up to Mabus.

Mabus nodded before turning to the recruits.

Mabus Fisher and his Green Falcons had grown in size, skill, and surety over the last few months. From what used to be just barely a hundred core men averaging at C-rank, they were now a average B-rank mercenary band. Their number had also swelled, now numbering at roughly 3,000.

They were growing strong, and soon, he and Duke Zepolya would get what they wanted.

"How long do you think we'll have to wait before we strike?" Mabus asked.

Christopher pondered about that.

Mabus knew that the duchy and its ally had been at war less than a year ago. Being called into war so soon would be disastrous for both manpower and relationship. Normally, in similar situations, there would be a waiting time. Perhaps ten or more years. Mabus knew; after all, he had been heavily involved in the business that is war in the Tesbalta continent.

He had fought for Volreek in their conquest of north. He had fought for Galburia in its conquest of west. He had fought even for the peaceful Black Drakken Flight Hegemony in their attempt to quell its rebellious clans.

Mabus knew it would be some time, but he wanted a head's up.

"Five years."

"Five, eh?" he repeated.

Five years... That would be enough to gather perhaps three thousand more men from the duchy alone while Zepolya fills up his levies back up.

At the same time, five years of peace for the Yylshuwan, the conqueror of Shellwraith, would be a period in which they would try to settle their newly conquered region to the west. One that was held by an odd cult worshiping an elf.

Both of the men's thoughts ran into there and they frowned.

The S-ranker elf healer. While she had been kept by the cult against her will, Shellwraith had called her a witch and went after her head. They reasoned that how else could a _healer _of all things keep the feral orcs, however tiny they were, in line? She must have had some other power other than healing.

So she had fled.

To Zepolya's court.

Christopher had been ecstatic at first. Then he wasn't so after a while.

She refused to fight for them. She would heal anyone in the capital for the same wage as the other healers, but she would not heal anyone on the battlefield.

To Mabus's surprise, Zepolya allowed that.

'But I know for a fact that he's frustrated about it,' Mabus thought as he glanced at the duke.

When a S-ranker doesn't want to do something, though, it can't be helped.

They're just too strong or valuable to coerce.

* * *

**Interlude 6:**  
**My Peaceful Days, Or Lack Thereof**

I frowned.

"You're supposed to put more willpower than that, Chief Ruto," my tutor chided.

I glared at her. "I am putting more than just 'happen' into this, damn it!" I growled, but she was not in anyway cowed by a mere growl.

Instead of being cowed, she struck the back of my head with her book.

"Keep your growls to the battlefield, Chief. This is a school."

I grumbled in annoyance before I got back to my work.

It has been several months since any major attack on my city, my people, and myself as a whole. It was peaceful for the clan and I was happy about that.

Because I finally got back to actually working on my own skills!

Or I intended to.

Perhaps two months after the Battle of Serrin was done and I started to retrain my skills in earnest, Senna came up to me and demanded that I attend a new school of magic that had set itself up near Pset.

At first, I was like "Wait, what? Why are y-"

She smiled and then went into a rant about my lack of roundedness in battle. I tried to say something,but every time I did so, something hit me from behind that no [Sonar] could pick up.

So in the end, I listened to nearly three hour lecture.

Something told me this was spurred on by Candy, who had been absolutely devastated when she found out that I nearly died.

And so, here I was in the new Psetia School of Deeper Magic... founded by none other than Aquitia Karling.

The girl may not be an archmage, but she knew a lot.

Perhaps more than most archmages, or so she claimed.

I just went with the flow, hoping that she didn't hit me in the back of my head every time I failed to do whatever she assigned me to do.

I supposed, though, that I should be grateful to both Senna and Aquitia. Thanks to them, I was able to learn a new magic after spending hours and days worth of my time into molding my magic.

Or should I old _jutsu_?

**[Shadow Clone (LvL 1) Cost: 1,000 MP per cast**  
**If I'm real and you're real, who's not real?**  
***Condition: Must not have open wound**  
***Condition: Must not have another object piercing the body**  
***Condition: Must not have disease or curse or bleeding effect**  
***Condition: Must not be pregnant**  
***Condition: Must not be moving fast during cast (speed must be below 0.5 m/s)**  
***Condition: Must not be confused**  
***Effect: Creates a physical clone (HP: 1/100 of caster (rounded up to nearest integer))**  
***Effect: While clone is active, MP reserve temporarily divided by number of clones that are active.**  
***Effect: Destruction of clone gives the clone's memory to original. **  
***Effect: Memory gained from clone has the following chance: memory gained = 100% - (Duration of time in seconds - (INT+WIS)*10)% - (LvL of Pain at time of clone's dispelling in 1-100 scaling)%. No memory can be lost from original. Every -1% of memory gain results in 0.001% of triggering Confusion.**  
***Effect: 2% of triggering [Confusion] every time clone is killed for 10 minutes per clone. Stacks up to 50.]**

I seriously do not remember the old skill having that much conditions. In fact, it's been nerfed.

I used to be able to read a whole library with the clones.

I used to be able to take on armies with the clones.

Now, the cost of creating one put me below half my MP reserve.

Now, every clone dispelling was a threat to my coherence of mind.

Now, I couldn't even use the clones as long term scouts.

But hey, they made for great quick scouts and fighting partners. At least, these clones wouldn't pop over 1 HP.

... Well, I did have a lot of MP in my past life compared to this life, like half a million.

But that did have me thinking. What else could I recreate from my old world?

Therein laid a problem.

While I remembered a lot about my world, like jiji, Konoha, Suna, Iwa, the Ohms, and my friends ... there were a lot of things I also did not remember. Like how did I make those things? What did I do make those turrets work?

I realized that I was losing memory of my old world.

It was sad, but I did not grief.

I had done my job in preserving the capital of Land of Fire from being overwhelmed. It was hard, yes, and I died, yes, but I took pride.

After all, I alone had stood before an army numbering hundreds of thousands, and I took them all down with me.

Could anyone in this world say the same?

Could anyone-?

Ping!

**[As a result of months of stewing, you have gained the trait [Proud]!]**

**[Proud**  
**I stand over all. What am I but God?**  
***Effect: +10% Prestige Gain**  
***Effect: -10 Relations with [Humble].**  
***Effect: Can now revoke the titles of those who irritate you (prepare for consequences, though).]**

... Fuck you, Gamer.

**[Fuck you, too.]**

"Get back to work, Ruto!"

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

**Interlude 7:**  
**The Old Imp**

He slept. He ate. He talked. He laughed. He ate. He slept. Life was good. Life was perfect. Don't bother him.

(Well, you asked for it. What else did you expect?)

* * *

**Interlude 8:**  
**The Rise of the Red Fan**

"Sir."

A man turned around. He had a single crow riding on his left shoulder. He looked at the man who had come to him, one of his lieutenants.

"The corrupt king has been killed. The kingdom is yours."

He nodded. "Thank you."

The lieutenant teared up and bowed. "I've only done what was best for our nation."

"... Raise the flags."

The lieutenant turned around and shouted, "Raise our flag!"

The man with the crow watched as the capital city's flag was taken down. In its stead, a white flag rose up.

A white flag with a red fan in the middle.

* * *

**Interesting News around the World**  
**Ruto's Year 3 + Day 10:**

*Nebligen Wald, which had started its conquest mere two months ago, had expanded quintuple its original size.

*Last remnants of Union of Liberty and Duchy of Nanamos had been subjugated by Kingdom of Galburia, officially ending the Galburian Civil War. Despite the fact that they lost two-thirds of their total territory, Kingdom of Galburia is still considered an empire on the same tier as Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire, Volreek Empire, and Canterrius Empire.

*Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire, tired from putting down the peasant revolt, had no choice but to acknowledge the core forces of the Ganbandam and Volian Rebellions. As a result, four states were able to earn their independence from the empire: Duchy of Yuan, Volian Republic, Ganbandam Republic, and the Ganbandam Kingdom.

*A clan bearing a red and white fan has risen up northeast of Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire.

*Yylshuwan has declared war on the Cult to their west. Due to the unorganized tribal nature of the cult's armies and the significant number of magicians in Yylshuwan's army, the cult's lands were conquered in less than five months. They were surprised to hear that the "goddess" of the cult was the S-ranker healer that all healers looked up to.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 3 + :**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 149  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 218.5(+989) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,760 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1978(1483.50(SGMII))  
DEX: 500  
AGI: 500  
END: 800  
INT: 300  
WIS: 310  
CHA: 300  
Unused Points: 0**

**Spirit: 90  
Magic: 65  
Power: 92**

**Control: 158  
Armor: 0**

**Fame(Prestige): + 35,103.1  
Infamy: +8,479**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**, **Proud**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 7)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Berserker (LvL 11)**x  
**Burst (LvL 3)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 5)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 10)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 6)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 91) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 67)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 28)  
Reinforcement (LvL 49)  
Shadow Clone (LvL 1)  
****Sonar (LvL 44)  
Time Decel (LvL 10)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 32)**x**  
Archery (LvL 37)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 25)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 34)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 39)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 69)**x**  
Charging (LvL 24)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 51) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 40)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 41)**  
**Fireball (LvL 17)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Intimidation (LvL 51)****  
Language (LvL 7): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
****Lesser Kingship (LvL 2)****  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 39)  
Mapping (LvL 22)  
Negotiation (LvL 17) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 13)  
Physical Durability (LvL 55)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 24)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 23)  
Teaching (LvL 23)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 47)  
Trapping (LvL 52)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 79)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **, **Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , Lizardmen, Earth Fairy, Orc, Elf, Drakken

**Warrior Count:** 803

**Total:** 11,890

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,044

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 7,811**  
regionalPower**: 7.2

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.

**Vassal (Tribes, Clan, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 2)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 19)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 26)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)  
**Shashan** Sorrhl-Ye City (regionalPower: 1)  
**Kragnok Scorchscale** \- Scorchscale Clan (clanPower: 16)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 4.9)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +890 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 14)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 10)  
**Duchy of Nanamos -700 (Extremely Hostile)** (regionalPower: 89)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -250 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 7.0)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Important Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set (Broken)****  
Contract Emblem for County of Upper Carpathi  
Contract Emblem for Duchy of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Western Mari  
Contract Emblem for County of Eastern Mari  
Vassal-Liege Contract with Free Union (Elric Brothers and al'Shavi)**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*New Nations! Accepted through Personal Messages only.

Urenian Nevriaon Republic by redDaeth  
Government: Tribal confederation  
Religion: Urenia (ancestral veneration + tribal brotherhood + belief of soul tempering forge)  
Major Races: Kobold, beastkin, green dwarves  
History: This republic was the summation of clans, tribes, and families ousted by the conquest of the Yoal Cohkman Orcish Empire. They fled the empire's torches and swords into the unknown lands to the east, which at the time had yet to be explored. It is suspected that less than 10% of the original exodus tribes and clans made it to the republic lands. Here, the three of the biggest clans who made it pledged to each other and themselves. The Yohn Kobold Clan, the Vu'Yuyusham Green Dwarf Clan, and the White Fur Beastkin Clan pledged to fight for each other, to tempered the weapons their brothers would use with their own souls, and to treat the gifts of their brothers as their own souls.

Ria'olkin Fleet by Alucard Bellsing  
Government: SubFleet-based tribal admiralty republic  
Religion: Up to each SubFleet  
Major Races: human, elves  
History: Said to be one of the remnants from before the Great Devastation, the Ria'olkin Fleet abhor their ancestor's loss in the Great Devastation. They believe the sea to be cursed and as such avoid it at all cost. Still, they travel far and wide in their more than ten thousand strong fleet.

Great Flotilla of Arier by the Raging Maelstrom  
Government: Representative Admiralty  
Religion: Worship of Lord and Lady of the Deep Waters  
Main Races: Arier, merkin, naga  
History: The Great Flotilla was formed by the aquatic race know as the Arier. The Arier are known as the children of the Lord and Lady of the Deep Waters for they have an inept pull to sources of water. They look like humanoid with gills on their necks and webbing between their hands and toes making them amazing swimmers and skin tone are blue, grey, and sometimes a light pink.  
They created the flotilla to be closer to the Lord and Lady by being in their domain as well as to get protection from slaver races that almost destroyed their civilization. Since then they have been traversing the oceans, seas, and any other body of water that their ships are able to navigate through. Because of their nation being a flotilla they spent most of their military spending on the construction and refurbishing of ships making them the head Naval power in the world. Since their formation, their main enemies were pirates and slavers.

Nebligen Wald by Alucard Bellsing  
Government: Autocracy  
Religion: N/A  
Major Races: Undead  
History: Once a quiet and peaceful kingdom, it was devoured from within by a necromancer. For a century since the fall of the kingdom, this nation had been quiet. Until now.

Nueva Revoluconi Franco by Kejmur  
Government: Militaristic Demo-Dictatorship  
Religion: "Don't Care" -The King  
Major Races: Human  
History: The region where NRF stands used to be made up of nine counties and two petty kingdoms. However, a man by the name of Nealopan rose up as a general among one of the kingdoms. Then he started a coup. Successful, he turned his military to the other. Within the span of three years, he conquered both kingdoms. Now, he leads the NRF against all of its neighbors to spread the "good democracy."

Burning Kingdom by zorks1  
Government: Absolute Monarchy  
Religion: Veneration of Demon Emperor of Hell  
Major Races: Demon Races (related to but completely different from devilkin)  
Neighbors: Theocratic Empire of the Golden Moon (At War), Gold Peak Mountain Fortress Kingdom (At war), Everyone (At War)  
History: It used to be called the "Kingdom of Liones." A beautiful kingdom known for their beautiful rolling hills, crops, and women. However, a courtier became jealous of his liege's wealth and prestige. He wanted them too. So he planned to assassinate the main family. He could of done it in many ways, but a voice in his head told him to go to the holy archives, find a forbidden book and summon demons. Sadly, the man did not think twice about the strange idea and proceeded to follow through with 'his' plan. A week passed and the one beautiful nation was completely burnt to the ground, now in it's place stands a dead and darkened fields of ash and stone with a demonic fortress amassing the armies of Hell to the mortal realm. It is only the luck of the denizens of Andalusia that the demon races of Hell hate water and can't even touch it. There's a reason why they burn everything.

* * *

After this chapter is posted, I will not be accepting any more nations until Chapter 90, and even then, only one per two chapter per reader. Those accepted before I published this chapter will still be posted but no more after this until chapter 90.

I can't read 20 messages a day from people who reply back immediately that extends into at least 10 minute conversation and put 40 kingdoms into place, goddamn it! I have a life and finals to do!

* * *

*About the kingslayer thing... someone pointed out that Ruto failed to kill M'Arkan in battle, which was the prereq for getting the skill, so this is why I took it off. I added something, failed to follow through, and then still gave it to Ruto. Obviously, consistency must be followed.


	75. Chapter 75

**Guys, I seriously laughed at that Peon guy. Chill. I ain't made or upset.**

**Truth be told, I was more bored and intrigued than upset.**

**Anyway, new arc, new chapter.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

_**Rounding Out**_

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 30:**

"Ah ha," I grinned. "I have successfully rec-!"

_BOOM!_

"Khahahaha!"

... Maybe not.

As the smokes of the explosions dispersed, I found myself coughing up a little bursts of smoke I inhaled when the explosion happened.

I saw before me four people.

Candy. Senna. Shirou.

And Minerva, who was visiting under the pretense that she wanted to form an alliance.

Yup, the Grand Duchess of Sarang was in my city, watching me fail with my own improvements. Anyways, everyone knew that she was here not to form an alliance but to fight me for the thrills.

After all, this was the woman who called her forces in and out of war for shits and giggles.

At the moment, I was trying to recreate the [Aegis Shield] I had used in my previous life. I realized that the said skill had come from a "skill book" -which the Forbidden Scroll had been the case for me- and thus recreating it might not be as easy as it was before.

The prediction proved to be true.

This was my twelfth failure today.

Minerva was apparently enjoying my failures.

"Fine, you want to fight me, let's fight!" I growled as I shot up from where I had been sitting.

Her grin just extended to split her face in half. "Finally! Come at me, big b-!"

"Outside," Senna smiled.

Minverva grumbled but left anyway, and I followed after her.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 35:**

The crazy bitch finally left! But I did manage to get her to sign a Non-Aggression Pact with her, so that was good, even if it costed me a full-body bruise from three bouts.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 37:**

"Another skirmish with Galburia?" I frowned.

Senna nodded. "The merchant caravan successfully drove them back without taking much casualties, but this is the fifth attack just this week."

I thought about that.

When I finished the war with Revyola, I received vassalships from some of the cities, temples, villages, and castles to my western border. These people and towns were once part of Duchy of Nanamos, but after the duchy fell in the last battle with Galburia, they feared for the iron rule of the Galburia and came to me.

I accepted on condition that follow my laws, which they found to be much less restricting than the Galburians.

In return, I had stationed 300 warriors there after the war in three different outposts. Thanks to the kodos, my warriors were able to respond to most of the threats quickly.

But the fact that my people were being attacked so frequently when I had no bandit problem told me that this was deliberate attempt at myself and my people from the Galburians.

"Cut off trade with Galburia until they can get rid of their 'bandit' problem," I told Senna. "I don't have the time nor the willingness for another war. For now, we'll just ignore them. Also, assign another 100 warriors along with Iskan there."

She frowned. "Are you sure about assigning so much of our elite warriors to the western front?" she asked. "That leaves our other borders and our own patrols weakened."

"It'll be fine for a few months," I assured her. "Besides, we're getting good recruitment with the Highlanders, so I assume we'll be back up to

"Still, to have half of our elites on the western front on top of cutting off trade from them..."

"It's the best decision and you know it, Senna."

Her frown deepened. "Of course, I know that," she replied without any heat.

"... Anyway, how's Sholva fitting?"

The frown chipped away a little and she began to tell me about how Sholva took off a load off her own work. He was now a manager of the trade network, and as such, he was in charge of keeping the ledgers about transactions and collecting the taxes from the guilds. He was really good at his job too. Senna was thinking about promoting him to Junior Steward.

Then I asked about her child.

She smiled and talked to me about how adorable her Rin was.

Named after her older sister from her past life, Rin was just as feisty.

Senna told me that she hoped her Rin was not as greedy as her namesake.

I laughed while Senna told me that it was serious.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 47:**

I personally came to the Highlander training ground and trained with them.

It was impossible for me to get more level for myself or some of the high end skills that I had. But it was a perfect place to gain new skills.

This was because the Highlanders accepted people with skills. Some of these people were men and women who were schooled in orthodox martial arts while others had taught themselves. So I trained with them, and on occasion, I would get a new skill.

Also, I still had to hone my own weaponry masteries.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 52:**

_BOOM!_

Failed at recreating Aegis Shield again.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 60:**

_BOOM!_

"So fucking close!" I roared.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 68:**

Bored as I was, I ended up watching the roads incoming to my city today.

That was why I was able to spot Iskan and the warriors, about a hundred of them, heading back along with a caravan despite the fact that I had given them return orders to do so.

So I jumped off and jogged over to them.

"Iskan, what's up?" I asked the Zandalari Troll as I skid to a stop by his side.

Iskan saluted as did the rest of the warriors.

"We successfully subjugated the Galburian raiders!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Do tell."

* * *

It seemed that instead of just sitting at the outposts and western border headquarter, which was really just a building in one of the cities who joined my clan, Iskan led his warriors out to battle. Just like myself, Iskan used the fairies as his scouts and infiltrators.

As soon as he determined where the raiders were camping out and what supply caravan was supplying them, he struck both at the same time.

Iskan personally led the attack against the raiders' camp while about fifty warriors along with a hundred levies demolished the supply caravans.

In fact, he had been so successful that he redistributed the supplies taken from the Galburian supply caravan to the cities to compensate for the loss of lives and assets. On top of that, he was able to snatch a few letters exchanged between the raider's captain and the newly reinstated Duke of Nanamos.

To celebrate, he had the warriors who had been at the front for the longest time to escort a merchant caravan heading back and forth between Ironwood City and the western cities.

I congratulated him and made sure he and the warriors got their deserved rest.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 71:**

Ping!

**[Your consistent effort towards the right direction has forged a new skill!]**

**[Aegis Shield (LvL 1) Cost: 10 MP per second per square meter**  
**This is the shield of the gods. Do you have what it takes to wield it?**  
***Effect: +50% Physical and Magical Damage Reduction to area the shield covers**  
***Effect: Damage below (skillLvL) points, magical and physical, are negated.**  
***Effect: Ineffective against Holy Damage**  
***Effect: +100% boost to all effects against Demonic Damage**  
***Effect: Prevents the effect of debuffs below LvL of this skill  
*Effect: Maximum Effective Distance: (skillLvL) meters ]**

... Is it me or did this thing get buffed like crazy?

I knew that I was going to end up LvLing the skill as much as possible for few reasons.

One, Aegis Shield was the armor I needed against numerically superior enemies. It prevented tiny damages which I would otherwise ignore. With Aegis Shield, I could jump into an army to wreck havoc without having to worry about damage to myself.

Two, aside from Reinforcement, this was my only other defensive skill.

And finally, three, it was Aegis Shield. The goddamn skill that made me so powerful right off the bat in my previous life. It was the ability that had so many uses.

"[Aegis Shield]," I spoke as I stretched my hand out.

By dozens and three's, tiny hexagonal shields appeared and coated my right arm like a floating second skin. As I slowly turned my arm left and right, I couldn't help but smile fondly.

"Welcome back, old friend."

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 76:**

Shirou and I decided to spar.

It was mostly myself that wanted to and Shirou was the only one capable of fighting on even ground with me.

It was also just me wanting to test out the new -old- skill, Aegis Shield.

Shirou was intrigued, so he agreed, but he demanded a handicap for both of us: I was to not use anything but Aegis Shield and martial arts, and in return, Shirou would not use any Noble Phantasm above B-rank. I agreed.

So here we were in the biggest sparring ring in the biggest training field within the Ironwood City.

To my surprise, the entire city had come out to see me mock-fight Shirou.

"I don't remember announcing it..." I said as I looked around.

A lot of the warriors and class fighters were there as well. While the few that I had stationed on the west could not come, those who could did.

"Is it because I'm here?"

"Don't be so proud, Ruto," Senna said as she walked up to the two of us, who were standing in the center of the sparring ring. "Iskan thought that it would be good for the people to know how powerful their leaders are and for the warriors to aspire to your levels."

Shirou blushed a little and stuttered.

I scoffed at Shirou's embarrassment.

"Come on, Shirou. Let's show them a fight between S-rankers," I grinned as pulled out a ironwood tree staff.

He nodded. He spoke, "Trace On" and pulled out his married blades, Kanshou and Byakuya.

For a second, there was silence as Senna pulled her hand up.

The two of us were less than three meters away from each other.

Then she brought it down. "Begin!"

Both of us stayed still, looking for an opening.

I struck first.

I thrusted the quarterstaff. Just as Shirou tried to dodge, I jumped back with a rightward swing.

Shirou forced himself to stop mid dodge and charged forward.

I too forced my rightward swing to a full stop and reversed it. The perks of brute strength was that I could overcome any form of force beneath my own strength's force.

Changing the trajectory of a quarterstaff that was not even half a ton in weight?

Piece of cake.

Shirou ducked underneath my swing and struck with the black blade.

In return, I let go of the rear end of the quarterstaff and slammed my fist into it. The entire quarterstaff bent before snapping upright-

-with one end heading straight for Shirou's face.

To my surprise, Shirou easily twirled around my counterstrike and dodged to the right. But in his haste to dodge the strike, he had to abort his own strike upon myself.

I grinned as I twirled the quarterstaff around before slamming it down to the ground.

* * *

Juras and Derin sat next to each other with Riddle sitting to Juras's right, holding onto the couple's baby.

Unlike Riddle, who was a magician of the Ironwood City, Juras and Derin were fighters; it was a simple fact regardless of circumstances. Juras liked to fight, and Deirn didn't.

But they saw skill and strength.

They knew that among the humans, they were the only ones who completely saw the byplay of the two, which would've looked like a blur.

In span of two seconds, Chief Ruto had made three strikes at Shirou, and the latter easily dodged them all while counterstriking before a counter-counterstrike forced him to dodge.

Derin gulped.

'So this is a fight between the S-ranks...' he thought. Derin knew that he was a low A-ranker, and he had no desire to rise above that when all he was interested in was moving around. Juras, on the other hand, was a S-ranker.

"What do you think?" he asked the only human S-ranker in Ironwood City.

"What I think?" Juras repeated. "I think they're fighting on a level that I would be hard pressed to match on a good day. Did you see that staff bend when he punched it down?"

Derin stiffened a little. "He punched it? I didn't see it."

"Yeah, well, he did," Juras said. The man experimentally squeezed his hands. "I know I'm strong, but I'll be sometime before I can do what chief just did. He held onto the force of his strike that bent the staff and at the last second, he twisted along the force of his punch, spinning the staff backwards. And in less than a second that the attack was about to hit Small Chief, Shirou dodged it with ease. That's not an archer class fighter right there, man. That's a fucking swordmaster!"

People around them began to whisper.

"Wait, wait, wait. Does that mean Shirou had this skill _before _he got his class?!" Derin conspiratorially asked Juras.

"If the skill says anything along with the lack of expression, I'd say well before."

Derin looked at the oni small chief whose wish had always been to protect and serve.

What kind of a past did Shirou have?

* * *

"Trace On," Shirou said as the married blades dissipated.

And Shirou just brought out the big guns.

"Didn't you tell me that that's an A-rank?" I asked Shirou as a huge flint sword appeared in Shirou's hands.

He grinned. "As long as I don't activate it, it's considered a C-rank."

I chuckled. "I guess this is the time I use [Aegis Shield]?"

He chuckled in return. "I think so too. I mean ... it's unlikely you'll be able to handle Heracles' Nine Lives with your meager quarterstaff there."

I frowned. "Oi. I spent my precious time making this."

* * *

Sholva z'Irowod, as he had named himself, gawked.

The master martial artsmanship that he just saw was beyond anything he had seen before. He had seen those who call themselves masterswordsman have a bout, and had been impressed then.

This?

This was a battle between demigods.

These two weren't normal, even in the world of martial magic and strength.

In a mock fight, they threw around strikes that would cripple and kill fully armored men and women and moved with speed that his eyes couldn't comprehend. All he saw in the three seconds of their first engagement was a blur!

It was then he realized why this city had grown this fast and this strong.

It had a basis that was too strong. In fact, Sholva guessed that it was this strength that drew people in. What drew everyone to this clan that had once been nothing but a small outpost of less than fifty monsters trying to be civil and survive as best as they can.

* * *

"[Aegis Shield]," I muttered.

Soon, purple hexagonal shields -all of which were no bigger than my thumb- gathered around the staff and formed a sword much like the Nine Lives that Shirou held.

'[Observe].'

**[Nine Lives**  
**Quality: Legendary**  
**Rank: C-rank sword form, SSS-rank Nine Live: One hundred Shooting Heads**  
**Description: Most prized of Heracles's Noble Phantasms, this weapon slew the immortal Hydra that even gods feared.**  
**Price: Continents]**

I whistled in appreciation.

Continents would be sold to buy that? Damn.

Then once my Aegis Shield took the similar purple, semi-transparent, and ethereal structure like that of Shirou's Nine Lives, I struck.

Shirou struck back.

_One._

Both of our swords met in a cross and bounced off.

_Two._

Our swords met once more but the strikes were harder and faster.

_Three._

Faster!

_Four._

By the fourth strike, only 3 seconds had passed.

_Fifth. Sixth. Seventh. Eighth!_

Only five seconds had passed since our swords first met.

But finally, my Aegis Shield broke.

I stared at the staff and shrugged before stashing into my inventory.

"Thanks," I grinned to Shirou.

He looked at me for a second before he smiled. "No problem," he said and dispelled the Nine Lives. We shook our hands and Shirou prompt flopped backward. "But dammit, Ruto! You made me reinforce all my muscles!"

I laughed. "You have to admit that it was fun, though," I commented right back at him as I pulled out a pouch of water and handed it to the obviously tired oni.

The crowd saw that the bout was over and dispersed.

'[Observe],' I intoned and glanced at Shirou.

**[Shirou Emiya  
The Mentor**

**LvL 122**

**Race: Pale Oni**

**HP: 455**  
**MP: 799**

**STR: 562**  
**END: 488**  
**AGI: 736**  
**DEX: 433**  
**INT: 356**  
**WIS: 311 **  
**CHA: 244**

**Power: 50**  
**Spirit: 122**  
**Magic: 62**

**Trait: **  
**Reincarnation, Kind, Anti-Hero, Sword Affinity, Master Chef, Diligent, Proud]**

"You hit over LvL 100," I commented.

He blinked and looked at me.

"And I still haven't evolved?" he asked.

"Seems like it. You're still a Pale Oni."

"I see," Shirou muttered. "Why though?"

"Who knows," I replied. "By the way, you're title changed."

He looked at me.

"'The Mentor.'"

Shirou pondered about that for a while before he smiled. "I could go with the Mentor."

* * *

**Interesting News around the World**  
**Ruto's Year 3 + Day 80:**

*The desert scarab hives north of Volreek Empire have began an outward expansion. Land of Wolshang has already lost half of their territory to them.

*Incensed by the assault on their border, Volreek Empire has turned its focus on Nebligen Wald. The empire has assigned fifty combat S-rankers and an army of ten thousand to the destruction and capture of all Nebligen Wald territory.

*Secrec Mountain City and Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi has entered a defensive alliance.

*Grand Duchy of Sarang has formed a non-aggression pact with Ironwood Clan.

*Grand Council of Galburian Adventurers lost all of its southern provinces to a group of S-ranked adventurers.

*Great Five Dwarven Alliance has declared war upon Ganbandam Kingdom, citing that the latter occupies their ancestral lands. Because the Ganbandamn Kingdom is not part of the coalition against Great Five Dwarven Alliance, the others cannot do anything but watch.

*A clear divide has formed in the Hundred Noble Houses of Canterrius Empire over the next successor for the imperial throne.

*Duchy of Kan declares war on South Kermania on grounds that the current duke's great-grandfather owned large swaths of vineyard by the borders between the two before it was unlawfully taken away by the former empire.

* * *

**Omake:**  
**Survivors of the Purge**

It had been nearly two years since the Scorchscale Clan arrived and were accepted by those of the Ironwood Clan.

In that time ... they had been busy.

Kragnok Scorchscale trained hard and long hours to improve his martial skills. He needed to become a strong warrior in order to take up a important position within the Ironwood Clan as to secure his smaller clan's survival.

But after seeing the bout between Small Chief Shirou and High Chief Ruto, he began to doubt.

They fought on a field that even the master martial artists of his formerly strong clan would have found impossible to follow.

He, who had not even reached the level of master martial artists, could not fathom himself reaching the levels of the Chief.

"Ah, Clan Heir Kragnok."

Kragnok paused in his pondering and looked around.

He had been walking alone in the somewhat busy main street of the Ironwood City. He had no escort with him, so who could've called him? Also, clan heir? That was a title he no longer went by.

His eyes widened when he found the person who had been calling him.

It was another red drakken. His scales had tiny black flickers of black among the red.

It was a Scorchscale member, but one who he thought had died in the imperial purge of his clan.

"... Brother?"

Behind his brother were a dozen more drakken.

"Brother Gragnak...?"

The red drakken smilled before he slumped forward even as the drakken behind him tried to catch him.

"Brother!"

* * *

"What happened?" Kragnok asked the drakken who had followed his brothers to Ironwood City.

They were now within his clan's compound in Third Ring, or the second borough to be constructed since the foundation of the city. The First Ring was occupied mostly by founding members of the city, the Second Ring was mostly occupied by refugees-turned-citizens, and his clan ended up taking the Third Ring as well as the administrative responsibilities of it. He had been grateful to the High Chief.

It was for this reason that he had been able to immediately get the attention of one of the healers in his Second Ring to help treat his long lost clan members.

To honor the gift the clan had received, the clan had agreed to model the Third Ring after the central city's architecture with only a few difference. His district had less cobblestone and large slabs of stones in its buildings.

He and his long lost clan members as well as the many of those who were in the Second Ring were in his clan's compound, which was a six floor high mountain peak like building with many a trees intertwining its structure.

The room they were now all in was the biggest room in the clan compound, one meant for the entire clan to feast within. The floor was covered with soft Grass-silk leaves, which the clan grew for their own consumption in their terraced clan compound, and the walls were the same large slab stones with large windows.

As the healers closed what wounds they had, one of the clan members who followed his brother skid a bit forward.

Kragnok remembered that this Scorchscale drakken's name was Addamin, or Red Dutiful in their tongue.

"It has been a long time, clan heir," he said as he bowed.

Kragnok nodded. "It has been, but why do you keep calling me clan heir?"

"Is your father not here?"

Kragnok bit down on his urge to grieve for his father's death right there. Even though it had been two years since he lost his father and majority of the clan, the wound in his heart had not gone away.

"I see..." Addamin muttered. "So he perished."

"Do not grieve needlessly for father," he replied with a snarl. "He fought taking down an entire battalion of the cursed imperial raiders."

Addamin nodded. "Then it would be correct to call you as the clan head, yes?"

"I have been the clan head of the Scorchscale Clan who made it to Ironwood for the last two years, so yes," he replied. "But where have you and my brother have been for the past two years? Our clan and I have made no expense to spread the word that the Scorchscale Clan will now reside in Ironwood City."

Addamin paused for a while. "...After the purge," he began. "Less than fifty of us survived with only three women among us. We thought that we were the last of the Scorchscale Clan."

Kragnok frowned. He knew the feeling well.

"Then?" he urged.

"In our grief, instead of finding a new nest, we instead began to raid imperial outposts and cities in our anger."

Kragnok's face and snout crunched up in griamce, but he didn't condemn his brothers and sisters for their actions.

"We were successful for quiet some time. We even managed to work with the Kermanians in driving out the imperials in the last battle... But that's where we lost everything as well.

"One of the imperial commanders decided to blow himself up with some kind of magical bomb. He had been playing dead before we arrived, so when he jumped up and latched onto Olyog... We couldn't do anything."

"...How many?"

"Of the forty nine who took part, only we made it out because of the blasted imperial commander. I'm truly, truly sorry."

Kragnok let out a small moan of grief as his eyes teared up.

Olyog had been his youngest brother. The smartest and most enthusiastic of the family. Even in the final days of the clan when they were fighting the imperials in deadly guerrilla warfare, Olyog had always been cheerful and positive, always believing that the clan will survive the ordeal.

To hear that he had survived the purge only to be killed by another imperial...

"How many of you are there?" he asked instead, unable to lift his head up in his grief.

"Fourteen here are all there is, chief."

He paused to draw his breath and think. He wiped his tears and straightened his back.

"Fourteen. That's fourteen more than zero. I could not be happier to see more of our clan here. This makes our clan three hundred nine now."

The other survivors of the Scorchscale Clan looked shocked. "T-Three hundred? That's nearly half of the clan! Thatm any survived?!" Addamin sputtered.

Kragnok shook his head before smirking. "We haven't been idle and griefing for two years, Addamin. I have led our clan back towards our former level. Many eggs had been rescued from the purge. All of them had hatched."

It was Addamin's turn to tear up.

"Thank the lord..." he muttered.

"Our clan is still strong," he said, addressing the entire clan as a whole. "We will become stronger and prosper in peace as we always have."

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 3 + Day 100:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 149  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 218.5(+989) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,760 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1978(1483.50(SGMII))  
DEX: 500  
AGI: 500  
END: 800  
INT: 300  
WIS: 310  
CHA: 300  
Unused Points: 0**

**Spirit: 90  
Magic: 65  
Power: 92**

**Control: 158  
Armor: 0**

**Fame(Prestige): + 35,103.1  
Infamy: +8,479**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**, **Proud**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 10)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Aegis Shield (LvL 4)  
Berserker (LvL 11)**x  
**Burst (LvL 4)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 5)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 10)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 6)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 91) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 67)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 34)  
Reinforcement (LvL 49)  
Shadow Clone (LvL 2)  
****Sonar (LvL 44)  
Time Decel (LvL 13)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 34)**x**  
Archery (LvL 39)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 26)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 35)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 41)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 69)**x**  
Charging (LvL 24)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 51) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 40)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 41)**  
**Fireball (LvL 17)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Intimidation (LvL 51)****  
Language (LvL 7): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
****Lesser Kingship (LvL 2)****  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 39)  
Mapping (LvL 22)  
Negotiation (LvL 17) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 13)  
Physical Durability (LvL 55)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 24)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 23)  
Teaching (LvL 23)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 47)  
Trapping (LvL 52)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 79)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **,**Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , Lizardmen, Earth Fairy, Orc, Elf, Drakken

**Warrior Count:** 893

**Total:** 11,800

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,044

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 7,811**  
regionalPower**: 7.2

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.  
**Kragnok** \- Scorchscale Clan representative.

**Vassal (Tribes, Clan, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 2)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 19)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 26)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)  
**Shashan** Sorrhl-Ye City (regionalPower: 1)  
**Kragnok Scorchscale** \- Scorchscale Clan (clanPower: 16)  
**Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Vyyagrin al'Shavi** \- Free Union (regionalPower: 5)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 7.2)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +950 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 14)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 9)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -100 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 6.4)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Important Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set (Broken)****  
Contract Emblem for County of Upper Carpathi  
Contract Emblem for Duchy of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Western Mari  
Contract Emblem for County of Eastern Mari  
Vassal-Liege Contract with Free Union (Elric Brothers and al'Shavi)**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*If Ruto had been learning his skills from skill books, the Shadow Clone and Aegis Shield as well as anything else should be the same! Except you all know and still point out that he isn't learning that way.


	76. Chapter 76

_**Rounding Out**_

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 134:**

Today, I was heading south to Free Union. Why? Because Vyyagrin al'Shavi, one of the three men who lead the Free Union, was getting married for the fifth time. Apparently, large number of marriages is normal for elvish descendants who don't marry another elf. Five was supposed to be small for such a person.

When Free Union officially invites me as their liege, I accepted.

I could use some vacation and sightseeing.

"A wedding invitation?" Candy asked.

I nodded. "al'Shavi's wedding."

Candy tilted her head a little before straightening. "That's the night elf from Free Union right? One of the generals," she commented.

"They go by councilors now."

"Councilors, generals, same thing," she replied with a wave of her hand. "Anyway, how are they doing?"

How was the Free Union doing?

For the most part, better than they had under Galburian rule, or that was how the Elric brothers summarized how "they were doing."

As it was my duty to look over my people -as Shirou installed into me as soon as he realized how big we were becoming-, I took on the duty of assigning superintendents to take care of small subregions in my stead.

I also made sure to give each race some of those responsibilities as to not look favorable to any one specific race or specific racial group. Oh, I had been accused before, but almost no one believed them. My actions like this made sure I couldn't be blamed for something I didn't even care about.

I mean, who the fuck cares if this human or this orc gets the job?! As long as they are loyal to the clan and myself, and fair to the people, I didn't care!

Still, to that end, about sixty superintendents have been chosen. Twenty of them were sent out to various areas within the Upper Carpathi, whether they be trade outposts, villages, tribes, or even military outposts, although in the lattermost, they were simply observers rather than actual managers.

Another ten had been sent down to Lower Carpathi, although all of them were reporters of the going-ons of the region as the actual ruling had been left to my vassals, the mayors and lords of lizardkin, who I had promised them their semi-independent rule.

As for the last thirty, they had been distributed throughout the newly conquered Duchy of Revyola. Their most important task, however, had been to eradicate all slavers and slavery as long as their own actions did not violate the law my small chief council and I had made.

Free Union was an exception. It was kind of like the cities in Lower Carpathi in their semi-independence. That was why Edward sent a report directly to me instead of a superintendent.

In his report, he said his people were fed and were being clothed in a manner of writing that suggested that they hadn't before. He also reported to me the slow tax revenue he was collecting (although I believe he thinks that I care more about that than the people considering the difference in size of the report on the two subjects) as well as the manpower.

I cared about all of them, people slightly more than manpower, and manpower slightly more than the tax.

It wasn't like I was the one seeing that money being used anyway. That was all Senna and her Department of Finances.

I kept myself busy with Candy, myself, and giving new classes to new warriors.

On that note, I also remembered that Sholva was working for Senna now. Wonder what happened.

"Ruto?"

I blinked and then gave her a smile. "Sorry, sorry. Blanked out a bit."

"Well?" she asked, regarding the last question she had posed to me.

"About the Free Union? They are doing fine. The money, clothes, food, and workers we sent them went a lot towards improving their ex-slave lives."

She nodded.

We both knew she didn't care.

One must understand how Vashta Narada, Fazes, and Phased think. Even I didn't know this until Sokar, Candy's father, explained to me just three days ago.

_1\. Vashta Narada is not an individual; it is a hive._

_2\. Vashta Narada has no gender until they evolve, and their gender is dependent on the strongest emotion they associate with._

_3\. Faze are usually solitary._

_4\. Phased are more or less human, but their personality depends mostly on their Vashta Narada and Faze life, which makes most Phased very introverted, very reflective, and very awkward._

He also congratulated me on shaping his daughter to be a non-introvert. No one would say Candy is extrovert, though.

The fact that she cares about anyone other than myself is a miracle as far as Sokar is concerned, because even he only cares about his family, which can be counted in one hand, and I am not part of that family.

It's simply how their species are.

So for Candy to not care about how the molested, raped, tortured, starving, and probably very depressed ex-slaves are doing ... is normal. They are not capable of empathy on the level that most races are.

Again, Candy caring about five people who are not blood-related and who are not directly spouse of like I am?

A fucking miracle.

A miracle on the same level as getting a sinner to become a saint.

But because I asked her to, she would care -at least publicly.

* * *

In the end, I accepted the wedding invitation. We were to arrive by the next week.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 139:**

Life was good. Not much else.

But the wedding of al'Shavi and his bride has spread across the entire city.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 142:**

It was time to head to the Free Union.

Candy, Senna, and Shirou came with me, and I took a small escort of twelve Highland Warriors.

I saw noticed that other small chiefs of the city were preparing their own escorts.

Right now, I was in the main street of the Ironwood City, which was apparently being named "Main Street." I had with me my party and the warriors. We were on our way to get our giant kodo mount.

It was one of the Aru tribe and Scorchscale Clan's cooperative invention. Shirou told me that the giant kodo mount, which was being unimaginatively called Big Ride, was similar to the War Elephants he saw in his past life.

"High Chief Ruto!"

I stopped and looked to my right. There was a fat draenei approaching me. He was dressed richly in purple and blue, the colors of the most expensive dye and silk combination on the market.

This man was Homoli, no last name.

He was a humble peasant from Galburia, and had found his way to my city when we first opened our doors to immigrants and refugees. He quickly took up a role as a merchant, and after three years, had become our city's wealthiest man.

However, he was an anti-centralized government faction leader. He once told me his belief in a decentralized government. He believed that a centralized government would eventually become corrupt. He believed in me, yes, but not the people.

"People are sheep. They are a mob. Only individuals are trustworthy."

And my "government," he said was becoming closer to a mob.

I dismissed his concerns, of course. Senna and Shirou have been doing an awesome job at creating a government _from scratch_.

"You were invited as well?" I asked him. It was obvious from the letter he was holding on to.

He smiled brightly. "Yes, I have been, High Chief! I've been donating large amount of foodstuff to the Free Union, and in return, it seems that I have been invited to this momentous occasion. One of the councilors getting married! This will go down in history!"

Did I mention that he's a very excitable fellow? Cheery? Bright?

Because he was.

"Indeed," I replied with a smile, but my tone was neutral. "What do you plan on getting for their wedding gift?"

The man froze.

"...You completely forgot about that, didn't you."

With that, Homoli gave off a quick goodbyes and raced off.

I let out a chuckle.

Once we were outside the city, we walked a few minutes until we reached the kodo stables.

At the front of the kodo stable was a pair of handlers, a tauren and a human, along with a really, really big kodo.

"High Chief Ruto," the tauren greeted. "Benny's been waiting for you, sir," he said as he gently caressed the kodo's head.

The Big Ride Benny was a huge kodo. He, not a she, was as tall as a two story building. His grey hide was painted with black and green colors of the Ironwood Clan. On top of his arched back was a carriage that went around the front and the sides. The carriage was open air with a fabric tent overhanging to provide for shade. On Benny's right side was a ladder.

"Up you go ladies," I told Senna and Candy.

The tauren, I believe his name was Bonstrom, helped the two up. Then Shirou went up and then I did.

"Are the kodo rides for my warriors ready as well, Bonstrom?" I asked.

The man looked startled that I remembered his name, but he quickly nodded. "Yes, sir! We had them waiting just in the stables. My boys and I'll bring them out quickly!"

I nodded. "Don't rush it and get someone hurt."

"Yes, sir!" With that, Bonstrom and his handler rushed off.

Soon, all of the fifty warriors who were escorting me were mounted, and after I made a quick stop at the entrance of the city to get some supplies, we were on our way.

* * *

While we all probably wanted to get away from the social, political, economical, financial, and other -al of our city in our ride towards Free Union, our own worries tossed those desires to the backburner.

"What is the eastern border like?" I asked Shirou.

Shirou, while he had taken a bit of a backseat in the military setting, was still considered one of the top commanders of my clan. In fact, it was he and Iskan who was closest to being promoted to the title of generals. But of course, neither know of what I intend to do.

Also, by eastern front, I meant our borders with Duchy of Kan, Necropolis, and South Kermania.

"Kermania is quiet as always. They're too busy with their internal affairs. Necropolis has been sending regular correspondence with Senna and myself," Shirou replied. "They're seeking to open up trade."

"I'll have a look at that once we come back. What about -. Never mind, they won't try anything."

All four of us knew what I meant to say.

The southern border was exclusively with Grand Duchy of Sarang, whose duchess has been coming and going to my city to regularly put up a spectacular fight with myself that dazzled and awed the populace of the city to the point that my people were starting to bet when we were going to fall in love with each other.

When I learned about the betting tidbit, I lost my mind and just went to sleep for an entire day from the sheer frustration I felt.

"Western border?"

Shirou frowned. "Candy's been there more often than I have been. She can tell you more."

Indeed. While Candy has been becoming more used to staying in the city, she regularly began to lead a party of a hundred or so warriors and regular soldiers to strike out against Galburian raiders.

And considering the fact that she often told me about her conquest in gory details regularly once she got back home, I didn't need to be told again.

Good thing she didn't hear Shirou.

"What about ... the internal factions?" I asked warily.

Here, Senna came in.

"As usual, the merchants are trying to remove the labor laws. There has been four arrests already connected to bribes and such. The warriors are becoming restless with nothing to fight against. The civilians are doing well and supporting all of my measures."

"What about the races?"

Senna frowned. "I suppose that's where things become ... vague, convoluted, and odd."

"Do explain."

"The most outspoken of the races are the dwarves and trolls. Due to their racial contribution to the rise of our beloved Clan, they believe that they should have greater say in what the clan says," Senna replied. "With a two-fifths of our city's population being composed of those two races, we can't ignore them forever."

I grunted.

"The onis are quiet as usual."

"The pacifists, the lot of them."

She chuckled before her expression blanked. "Then there are the kobolds, lizardkin, and draenei, who make up the next biggest bloc of power. They want more expansion and greater inflow of immigrants into the city, and have been petitioning me to do so. The trolls and dwarves have demanded this petition be rejected because they fear that increased population will mean a decreased proportion to their respective races' percentage of the population, which will in turn decrease the races' socio-political powerbase."

"What about the other races?"

"Humans have been doing their best to stay neutral, because there is still lingering animosity towards humans in general, especiall against Galburian humans."

"Ah. Because of their nation."

She nodded. "Because of this, Derin has opted to keep the humans neutral in all of the conflicts, but a few have joined the two power blocs. However, I doubt this neutral stance will be for long because Juras Managot, our third S-ranker, is a human, and both sides want him."

"And the Scorchscale Clan?"

She smiled. "Ever since you gave the 'Guardianship of the Sky' and the 'Guardianship of the Northeast,' they have been doing their best. Unlike the humans, they have opted to remain completely loyal to you. It seems that loyalty of the Drakken is as they say: 'hard to earn, but once earned, forever given.'"

"So ... same, same?"

"Same, same," she smiled.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 3 + Day 100:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 149  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 218.5(+989) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,760 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1978(1483.50(SGMII))  
DEX: 500  
AGI: 500  
END: 800  
INT: 300  
WIS: 310  
CHA: 300  
Unused Points: 0**

**Spirit: 90  
Magic: 65  
Power: 92**

**Control: 158  
Armor: 0**

**Fame(Prestige): + 35,103.1  
Infamy: +8,479**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**, **Proud**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 10)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Aegis Shield (LvL 4)  
Berserker (LvL 11)**x  
**Burst (LvL 4)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 5)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 10)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 6)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 91) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 67)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 34)  
Reinforcement (LvL 49)  
Shadow Clone (LvL 2)  
****Sonar (LvL 44)  
Time Decel (LvL 13)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 34)**x**  
Archery (LvL 39)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 26)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 35)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 41)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 69)**x**  
Charging (LvL 24)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 51) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 40)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 41)**  
**Fireball (LvL 17)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Intimidation (LvL 51)****  
Language (LvL 7): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
****Lesser Kingship (LvL 2)****  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 39)  
Mapping (LvL 22)  
Negotiation (LvL 17) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 13)  
Physical Durability (LvL 55)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 24)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 23)  
Teaching (LvL 23)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 47)  
Trapping (LvL 52)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 79)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans**,**Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , Lizardmen, Earth Fairy, Orc, Elf, Drakken

**Warrior Count:** 893

**Total:** 11,800

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,044

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 7,811**  
regionalPower**: 7.2

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.  
**Kragnok** \- Scorchscale Clan representative.

**Vassal (Tribes, Clan, Cities, and Forts)**

**Jeghal **\- Ruyure Tribe (tribalPower: 10)  
**Qreldo **\- Werwen Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**?** \- Nomore Tribe (tribalPower: 2)  
**Boulosu** \- Bouldon Tribe (tribalPower: 12)  
**Skrall Keenjikiki** \- Aru Tribe (tribalPower: 19)  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal Tribe (tribalPower: 26)  
**Pyrcol** \- Warrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 40)  
**Solo Yaran** Yaran-Ye City (cityPower: 29)  
**Tahl Manus** Serrhl-Ye City (cityPower: 22)  
**Shashan** Sorrhl-Ye City (regionalPower: 1)  
**Kragnok Scorchscale** \- Scorchscale Clan (clanPower: 16)  
**Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Vyyagrin al'Shavi** \- Free Union (regionalPower: 5)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 7.2)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +950 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 14)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 9)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -100 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 6.4)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Important Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set (Broken)****  
Contract Emblem for County of Upper Carpathi  
Contract Emblem for Duchy of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Western Mari  
Contract Emblem for County of Eastern Mari  
Vassal-Liege Contract with Free Union (Elric Brothers and al'Shavi)**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*The thing is, skills books are just regular books. It's the Gamer that converts regular books or scrolls -like the Forbidden Scroll in Naruto- into a skill book. Otherwise, they're just that: books. But still, thanks for reviewing and asking me, AvidReader.


	77. Chapter 77

**Took my last final.**

**I think I'm screwed.**

* * *

_**Rounding Out**_

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 145:  
**

We arrived early in the morning just after the sun had cleared the horizon.

Our destination from start had been the Ultani City, which had been designated as the capital of Free Union.

Now, a little background history of the city here is necessary. From what I remember about Shirou telling me about it, the Ultani City was a city whose history lie not in commerce, history, or architecture but rather warfare. Before the Kingdom of Galburia had encompassed Middle Eastern Tesbalta, which was apparently the name of the continent we were on, the region used to be part of more than ninety states duking it out for dominance.

Galburia was the victor among these ninety states.

But one state that had been next to Galburia since the kingdom's foundation more than eight hundred years ago was the Nation of Alma. The Nation of Alma held exactly five provinces throughout its life, and held Ultani City as its capital.

In its eight hundred years of existence in the warring states era, Ultani City had not been breached until Galburia conquered all of Middle Eastern Tesbalta and brought an army 150,000 strong to fight the city and its makeshift 10,000 militia fighters and 3,000 garrison soldiers.

Of the 150,000 Galburian soldiers who sought to conquer Ultani City more than five hundred years ago, 80,000 perished at the gates of the very city that we arrived at. I could see how they lost so many troops, though.

The Gate of Ultani was a massive thing. I was on top of a two story high kodo beast, and I could tell the gates must be at least two and half times the height of the beast. That was massive. The gate was also different from the "door" archetype that most cities and castle had. Instead of wooden or metal gates, it was criss-crossed alloy fencing of some sorts that was at least a meter thick.

In the end, though, it fell.

However, Galburia saw the usefulness of a city with such a might, and instead of burning it down, it refurbished it and made it their own.

And now?

It was Free Union's.

Apparently, there had been a large internal slave revolt within the city itself two years ago when Galburia first split up. Ever since then, the city had been left alone and armies upon armies had tried to take it over.

But Vyyagrin al'Shavi stood in defense of the city. For two years, he withstood the Contested Zone's chaos, keeping the Ultani City safe.

'And only after I accepted their vassalage did I actually understand what kind of a boon I brought to my clan,' I thought to myself.

While Vyyagrin al'Shavi may not be a statistically powerful elf like myself or Shirou, he was exceedingly skillful. Of course, I didn't know the details of this, but when my [Observe] hit LvL 90 last time I met, I was able to see the average LvL of skills and the number of skills he held.

Average LvL was 92 and he held 40 skills.

As far as I was concerned, an average LvL of 92 among 40 skills was insane, and I could tell why elves were considered the most powerful of races. Their long lives granted them a long time to master any skills they might gain, and if their average skill LvL was anywhere near those of al'Shavi, then an army of elves was not something I wanted to fight voluntarily.

Good thing that most of the "elven" nations were far north or far south.

"Halt!" one of the guards shouted as he thrusted his spear forward. Big Benny, the carriage kodo, stopped at the sight of a little human with a stick. "Who goes there?!"

'Probably thinking about whether he should bite the stick or not,' I chuckled mentally.

Before I could answer, one of my warriors strode forward on his kodo. "This is High Chief of the Ironwood Clan! Stand down, guard!"

The guard paled and quickly backed off. "I-I didn't know, milord. You weren't flying your clan's flag s-so-"

"It's alright," I said loudly enough for everyone to hear. "It's a mistake. No harm done. Could you open the gate for us?"

"Of course, sir!" With that, the guard quickly ran to the gate and rung a bell that hung there. There were five chimes and then the gate began to slowly open. The fence-like gate slowly lifted up, but I heard no groans of mechanical work being done.

"Is that magic?"

"I suppose so," Shirou guessed. "My Structural Analysis can't see anything directly beyond the gate itself. I could tell you that the material of the gate itself is very, very old, and brought from everywhere to make it in the first place because of how ... demanding it was, but that's about it."

I nodded. "I guess you know one of your assignments, then."

Shirou stiffened. "Oi, are you going to make me work while we're on vacation?"

I scoffed. "Strictly speaking, this is no vacation. Just take your time learning about it. I want it implemented on our city. You can always come and revisit the place."

Shirou sighed. "Got it."

Senna lightly slapped my shoulder. "Don't overwork my husband so much."

I chuckled lightly. "Sorry, sorry. He's just too good at his job."

"Exactly. You only have one of him."

I nodded. "Got it, got it."

Finally, the gates were fully open, and we were allowed in.

"By the way," I asked the guard. "Where's the stables for these guys?"

The guard warily looked at the kodo beasts.

"They're herbivores," Senna helpfully added.

"The citadel should have a stable for your beasts," he said before he moved out of the way. "I don't think any of the common stables will be able to house them."

"Alright. Let's move on, people."

Soon, we were marching down Ultani City's main street.

Unlike my city's straight Main Street, the main street of the Ultani City swerved side to side with buildings rising up and down. In the morning light, western half of the street was shadowed while the eastern half was lit up in yellow glow of morning light.

My escorts and my own carriage kodo must have been a scene. We marched slowly. Our kodo beasts walked leisurely, swaying slightly as they stomped forward. My escorts, fifty of my best warriors, armored, armed, and skilled, sat on top of their kodo beasts. Some of the warriors holding the flag of the Ironwood Clan kept the flag straight up.

And those on Big Benny and myself?

We were in the center of the march and above the shadow cast by the first row of houses right next to the main street.

There were few people in the morning, but there were enough to cause some noise. This, in turn, brought more people out as curiosity got the better of the people.

Soon, less than half way to the citadel, where I was supposed to go to, there was a sizable crowd on either side of the street.

Then they began cheering for me.

"Hurray the Ironwood Clan!"

"God save our liege!"

Now, I was seriously confused.

We made it to the citadel and the cheering died off as the denizens of the city went to do their own thing.

This gave me time to look around, even as al'Shavi and his own retainers came out to greet me.

The citadel of Ultani was not as massive as that of Galiz, but it was impressive in its own right. It stood towering over the city which had mostly two to three story houses with occasional four to five story buildings. The citadel was at least ten stories tall, and seemed to encompassed central 10% or so of the entire city. Compared to my puny citadel which stood at less than 1%, this citadel was huge. It was not big as Pset's citadel or Galiz's citadel, both of which were tall, this citadel made up for its lack of height with width.

Its grey walls were painted here and there with the red and green of the Free Union's flag. There were flags on top of the citadel as well, but most of them were small and unmanned.

"High Chief Ruto!" someone laughed as they got closer.

It was al'Shavi.

I helped Candy off Big Benny and Shirou did the same with Senna. Shirou handed Big Benny's reins to the man who looked to be the stablemaster, while I greeted al'Shavi with a firm handshake.

Vyyagrin al'Shavi was dressed differently from last time I had met him.

"It's been a few months since we last saw each other, High Chief! Thank you for coming to my wedding," the dark-skinned elf councilor of the Free Union said with a big bright smile as he clasped my hand with both of his. "How was your trip?"

I smiled back in return. "The weather was good to us. Maybe a tad bit too sunny, but we had the carriage for that," I replied as I gestured to Big Benny's carriage with my free hand.

al'Shavi observed the kodo beast and its brethren for a while. "I had not expected you to use such beasts to come here. In fact, your carriage beast is the largest of its kind that I've seen so far," he commented. He shook his head. "But I'm being rude, keeping my guests outside. My citadel is at your service, High Chief."

I laughed. "Indeed! Let's go inside. I'm sure my warriors are seeking some rest after our long journey!"

* * *

As Ruto, Candy, and Senna mingled in with Councilor al'Shavi and his retainers, Shirou walked over to the warriors. "Are you guys doing alright?" he asked them.

Grotche, the kobold archer who had been chosen as leader of the Alpha Squadron, nodded even as sweat dripped down his long jawline. "Yeah, we're good. Just need a good cold drink, and we'll be set to go."

"Ha! I think we all need a bed!" one of the warriors in the back barked out in a laugh, which was shared by a few others.

Grotche glanced over his shoulder. "How the hell did you manage to get in the Highlanders with that kind of endurance, Bido?!" he barked.

"I don't know. Maybe because I threw your ass on the ground?!"

Grotche growled playfully before he turned to Shirou. "Yeah. A few hours of nap would do us good before we're back up to patrol."

Shirou nodded. "I'll see to it," he said as he turned around.

* * *

While Shirou was organizing the warriors and their rest, Senna was doing some information gathering.

It was of benign reason like who the bride was, what kind of a person she was, and such.

The usual girl talk.

"Lady Eris is so smart! You should have seen her solve problems that even Councilor al'Shavi had trouble with, Lady Senna," the retainer closest to her, a young girl by the name of Viennis, chatted. "She's also a warrior, too. Came from a tribe in Duchy of Marcos, if I remember correctly."

"That was one of the states that broke off, did it not?" Senna asked.

Viennis nodded eagerly, glad to have the attention of "the Queen" of Ironwood Clan. "The Duchy of Marcos is very mountainous, which is why it was a good southern border against Kalevania."

Senna gave the young lady an appraising look. "You are a student of history and military?"

Viennis blushed a little at the attention. "My family has long history of holding military offices, so its tradition for all members of the family to learn about military related topics until we are married."

"I see," Senna commented. "...Anyway, do carry on."

"Yes, milady," Viennis obeyed. "But because the duchy was also so very mountainous, very much like Upper Carpathi, building cities and farms was nearly impossible for Kingdom of Galburia, not when it had to constantly contest against Tyronia and Kalevania to its south. So instead, the royal family just built some forts and left it alone, which led to displaced tribes from other part of the world moving in. From what I know, Lady Eris's tribe had settled down in Duchy of Marcos two hundred years ago, and have established themselves as barons."

"How did she get here?"

Viennis quieted a bit. "She ... was one of the slaves our people rescued when we took over this very city."

"Ah."

She brightened. "But she's awesome! Even when she was a slave, she was the manager of the gardens and the greenhouses!" she exclaimed. "Her green thumbs are amazing..."

And on the conversation went.

Candy didn't really talk with anyone. She just stood by Senna's side and just looked around. Occasionally, her shadows would move around on her skin, covering a portion of her face, and then disappearing underneath her clothes. She was bored, and that was about it.

* * *

**Interesting News around the World**  
**Ruto's Year 3 + Day 145:**

*Nebligen Wald, the nation of a necromancer who had usurped a kingdom and turned all of its inhabitants into mindless undead, began to lose against Volreek Empire. While Nebligen Wald had an army of 100,000 mindless undead, the Volreeks had sent S-rankers. These S-rankers reaped the necromancer's army down like death itself. Seeing Nebligen Wald's defeat again and again, its other neighbors launched "reclamation" campaigns.

*Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi officially signed a mutual defense treaty with Secrec Mountain City.

*The 88th Emperor of the Canterrius Empire dies without an heir. The Great Noble Houses break out in squabble over who should succeed the throne, and in the midst of this squabbling, several generals and dukes all individually attempt military coups. This fragments the empire. Quickly, the Great Noble Houses attempt to fix the issue, but the civil war that had broken out because of their squabbling had gone too far.

*In response to the breakdown of order and the eruption of a civil war that no one had expected, the Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire, in fear of refugees disrupting what little they had rebuilt, closed off the borders.

*Red Drakken Flight took the chance of the chaos within former imperial territory to recruit allies wanting to smash the duke they were fighting. This has resulted in the Duke of Queen fighting three separate enemies.

* * *

**Interlude**

Richmand stared down at the numbers.

As a ward of the House of Retvoa, he learned long ago as a child that numbers don't lie. Numbers reveal truths and facts. Numbers rule and govern. Numbers discourage and encourage.

He had learned long ago to trust in the number and to keep that trust as his first commandment.

So when the numbers in front of him told him something, he could not ignore it nor could he deny it.

"How could this be...?" he muttered as he stared down at the numbers.

A year ago, the famous Sholva z'Retova had been dragged down from his seat as the steward of the House of Retvoa by a coalition consisting of more than ten of his cousins, each of whom ruled one or two trade outposts. They had grown jealous over the wealth he was making for himself after setting up a trade outpost in Ironwood city.

Richmand hadn't done anything about it; he was too busy keeping himself busy with his own job to care about the human younglings that House of Retvoa had sired.

Once they took Sholva down, the men of Retvoa quickly divided up the wealth Sholva had accumulated among themselves.

As for the trade between the House of Retvoa and the Ironwood City ...

Five months ago, the income from Ironwood City started to decline. It was small and unnoticeable at first.

Four months ago, Richmand noticed a significant drop in the profits.

Three months ago, Richmand sent investigators to contact the merchants under Retvoa's trade outpost regarding the net loss.

One month ago, the entire house was alerted to the fact that the Ironwood Outpost was losing the house money.

Why was this happening?

* * *

Sholva cackled as he raised toast to the sheet in front of him.

"And that is what you get for kicking me out."

His secretary raised an eyebrow. "Is this okay?" he asked.

"Of course, it is," Sholva grinned. "And that's the best part. I am legally making the clan more money while killing its potential rival. Isn't that perfect?"

"Retvoa was your former house..."

"And they robbed me. I don't see the point of this conversation. Bring me my next paperwork, Alfred."

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 3 + Day 145:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 149  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 218.5(+989) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,760 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1978(1483.50(SGMII))  
DEX: 500  
AGI: 500  
END: 800  
INT: 300  
WIS: 310  
CHA: 300  
Unused Points: 0**

**Spirit: 90  
Magic: 65  
Power: 92**

**Control: 158  
Armor: 0**

**Fame(Prestige): + 35,103.1  
Infamy: +8,479**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**, **Proud**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 10)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Aegis Shield (LvL 5)  
Berserker (LvL 11)**x  
**Burst (LvL 4)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 5)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 10)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 6)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 93) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 68)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 34)  
Reinforcement (LvL 49)  
Shadow Clone (LvL 2)  
****Sonar (LvL 45)  
Time Decel (LvL 13)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 34)**x**  
Archery (LvL 39)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 26)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 35)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 41)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 69)**x**  
Charging (LvL 24)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 51) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 40)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 41)**  
**Fireball (LvL 19) - Fire Whip (LvL 2)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Intimidation (LvL 51)****  
Language (LvL 7): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
****Lesser Kingship (LvL 2)****  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 39)  
Mapping (LvL 23)  
Negotiation (LvL 17) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 13)  
Physical Durability (LvL 55)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 24)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 23)  
Teaching (LvL 23)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 47)  
Trapping (LvL 52)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 79)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **,**Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , **Lizardmen**, Earth Fairy, Orc, Elf, **Drakken**

**(Darkened races make up more than 5% of the total population. **Non-highlighted races make up less than 5% of the total population**)**

**Warrior Count:** 901

**Total:** 12,280

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,154

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 7,856**  
regionalPower**: 7.3

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.  
**Kragnok** \- Scorchscale Clan representative.

**Vassals (tribes and clans removed due to how small their power weighs in)**

**Pyrcol** \- Lower Carpathi City-States (regionalPower: 2.3)  
**Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Vyyagrin al'Shavi** \- Free Union (regionalPower: 5)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 7.2)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +950 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 14)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 9)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -100 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 6.4)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Important Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set (Broken)****  
Contract Emblem for County of Upper Carpathi  
Contract Emblem for Duchy of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Western Mari  
Contract Emblem for County of Eastern Mari  
****Contract Emblem for County of Northern Dynland **(forgot about this)**  
Vassal-Liege Contract with Free Union (Elric Brothers and al'Shavi)**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*The thing is, skills books are just regular books. It's the Gamer that converts regular books or scrolls -like the Forbidden Scroll in Naruto- into a skill book. Otherwise, they're just that: books. But still, thanks for reviewing and asking me, AvidReader.

*Refer to Chapter 67 as to how Free Union, previously part of former Union of Liberty, joined Ironwood Clan.

*As for the sector to world percentage, the entire Sector of 3-2 is 5% of Andalusia. However, the map itself is _not _what you think it is, so don't go ahead and make yourself a planet with Sector 3-2 on one side of it.

*Size of Ironwood City. Well, this is a tough one because the city is constantly growing and more boroughs are being constructed to the original city, expanding east, south, and north (west is not available due to a steep incline). So I'll give my best estimate of what I had been thinking of Ironwood City's size as of this chapter. Only counting within the walls, somewhere around 9 square kilometers, which makes the population density 1334 people/square km. If you count the entire area that Ruto and his Small Chief Council had allocated to expansion for the forseeable future, then the area increases to 23 square km or so, which would make the final population density 521 people/square km, but most of the 14 is not in use nor occupied except by select few, which makes the latter data moot.

*Ruto can't train all of his skills at once, since his Shadow Clone is no longer as OP as before. Remember that I nerfed it? This means that Ruto still has only one body to work with. Also, you can't exactly train most of his skills when you are on the road and in constant movement.


	78. Chapter 78

**I'm surprised no one reviewed the latest chapter yet. It's probably another one of the site's review downs.**

**Anyways, if you had something to say that was important, send me a PM, but other than that, I hope you enjoy this new chapter.**

* * *

_**Rounding Out**_

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 146:**

Today was the wedding day, so Candy and I decided to wear the best. Candy wore a one piece red dress with gold threads knitted all around the edge and a golden dragon rising up from the left side of her one piece up and around her body to her upper left breast. I wore a decorative steel chain mail under the purple silk shirt and a pair of purple silk pants.

Apparently, the purple was the "royal" color designated only for the kings, which explained why I saw no one in Ironwood City wearing that color; they were afraid of angering me.

Together, Candy and I walked out into the streets to make our way to the grandest cathedral in the city, Saint Queensburg, named after a name who apparently died to bring a certain religion to this world.

As we walked in, I saw those invited to the wedding slowly gather and enter as well, chatting amiably.

To my surprise, I saw that Vyyagrin was allowing the inclusion of normal citizens into the audience, only if they were cleanly dressed though.

We found our seats at the front in one of the viewing boxes.

* * *

"Do you, Councilor Vyyagrin al'Shavi, take this woman as your wife?"

"Yes."

"And do you, Lady Eris von Alberst, take this man as your husband?"

"Yes."

"Then I declare you husband and wife. You may kiss."

A cheer rang out in the background, and I clapped with some others as the two kissed.

"That was surprisingly normal," I muttered to myself.

The wedding ceremony was just that; a wedding ceremony. It was a formal joining of a man and a woman before their god. It was not about the Chancellor Councilor of Free Union marrying the daughter of a still powerful clan in Duchy of Marcos.

Just of love and union.

But that had me thinking.

Everyone knew that Candy was my "mate," or spouse for the true races, despite the fact that I had not actually formally married her. It was acceptable for myself because I was of the "monster race" just as she was. No one really expected it from us.

This had me thinking about the social changes of my clan. While the fact that there were married "monster race" couples in our clan, it was not the norm. It was special, because most couples did not marry, especially the "monster race" couples.

Initially, the "true race" couples did not follow this and went to get themselves married.

Unfortunately, because I supported no one religion nor care for such places of worship when most of the people who came to me didn't care much for those either, infrastructure for weddings were nonexistence. The closest thing was my own approval of the marriage, and I was out in the field most of the time.

This forced Senna to deal with the marriage issue when she and Shirou had to deal with building the clan's economy from scratch.

Yeah. They didn't care for those either.

We did eventually get a priest of the same religion that Vyyagrin proudly associated to, Christianity. It took full two years for such a priest to come to us in the first place, and even after that, it took us a month a place of their worship, called church, to the priest's satisfaction.

By then, many of the "true race" couples had already took their own initiative, appointing their own "officers" for the act of serving as witness to the marriage, and this had pushed the members of Christianity from their own religious leaders, who saw this as an act of rebellion. In fact, the first priest who had entered my city tried to get me on his side.

I cared for none of this until I was forced to when a brawl broke out and a man died. Not the first death nor the third, but it was a reason that most of our clan members considered petty (remember that most of us were considered "monsters" and thus not allowed in "true race" religions).

Just mere months before I came to participate in this very wedding, I had to settle the issue of marriage.

"I don't give a shit who does what. You will forget about the past and move on. Repeat the ceremony if you really have to. I don't care! I have raiders to drive off!"

That seemed to do it, but I knew that my dismissal of such an important part of their lives had caused a small rift between them and myself.

Gah... When did leading get this complicated? Why did every single word from my mouth have to matter so much?

"Congratulations," I said to Vyyagrin as he and Eris passed by me.

He grinned and nodded in thanks before the newly wed couple ran out of this church.

We followed the crowd as they followed the happy couple out of the church. I soon found myself looking at a large crowd that had gathered outside the church. Soon, bells rung and the basketwomen and basketmen threw flower petals into the air.

The crowd cheered for the newly wed couple, and I found myself smiling.

Perhaps wedding was not a bad idea.

Hell, I wonder if I'll be holding a wedding of my own.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 150:**

"What, why?"

For the past four days, there was a feast for the entire city. It spared no one, whether one was a beggar or a noble.

It was a happy occasion, and Vyyagrin al'Shavi had not spared the expenses to keep everyone happy, but considering his "deceitful" trait, I was thinking that this feast may be more than just a "feast."

After all, Free Union recently became a state of its own, however vassalized it may be under myself. As a new state fresh out of war, they were wary and tired, and a feast like this may help to boost morale of its citizens when supplemented with a good reason.

But I can be overthinking things, no matter how much "wiser" and "intelligent" as I have become over the years thanks to the point dumps I made on WIS and INT.

Unfortunately, this was going to ruin this celebration.

al'Shavi, Edward, Alphonse, Shirou, Candy, Pyrcol, myself, and many others sat in the long table inside the citadel. The room was beautiful. Its blue and white lion tapestry hung walls matched well with the painted grey walls. The white marble floor of this large dining wall was not overly expensive looking, but it held in its swirl pattern floor design an elegance that mere flooring of marble could not match.

And in spite of the splendor of familiar and new food laid out in a feast before us, no one was smiling.

After all, who would smile after hearing that a Galburian noble so infamous for his ill treatment of slaves had come to Ultani City as an ambassador from the Kingdom of Galburia?

"They're mocking us," Edward plainly spoke as he sipped from his wine glass. Once he was done, he gently set the glass down.

Then the entire thing cracked from the two fingers he had on its tip.

"Brother..." Alphonse muttered.

I grumbled. Even I heard about the bastard.

John Evelick, the Count of Orlan, the Court Chaplain to the King of Galburia, a commander of Kingdom of Galburia, and a wicked sadist. He was known for his sadism, especially, as he put up "public shows" about himself dressed up as a clown and torturing old and young slaves to death with all kinds of devices. Sometimes he would go "easy" on the slave and make suffering last short, but when he really draws his torture out, he could make his victim stay awake for days.

And a bastard like that was assigned as the ambassador to Free Union, completely bypassing me, who was their liege.

This was a two-fold mockery.

"Send him back," I replied easily.

"You can't just-" one of the lesser nobles tried, but I glared at him. I didn't even turn on my [intimidation], but the man paled.

"I can and I will. I will not take an action like this and stay quiet," I snarled. I turned to the guard captain who had relayed the information. "He's still outside the city, yes?" The guard captain nodded quickly. "Good. Make sure it stays that way forever. I will not have a scum like that loitering in my city for any reason," I ordered. "And if he tries to force his way in, shoot him in the knee for forced unauthorized entry."

"Y-Yes, sir." With that, the guard captain of the west wall ran off.

Everyone stared at me.

"What? It's not like I did anything wrong."

"No, sir, it can't be because you're our liege-" one of the lizardkin hereditary barons from Lower Carpathi, said, but I cut him off before he could continue.

"It's not about myself or insult to me. I don't like this man, and I won't have such a bastard in my territory, period." I sipped on the wine, but the taste was ruined. "Sorry about that, Vyyagrin."

The old but youthful elf smiled back gently. "It's no problem. I would have done the same."

I nodded before I stood up. "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, but I believe it's time for me to turn in to bed."

Everyone stood up to greet me out, but the mood was spoiled.

* * *

As Pyrcol watched his liege lord leave, he couldn't help but wonder why the Kingdom of Galburia had decided to mock them.

The desire to insult, Pyrcol could understand. After all, from the Galburian perspective, Ironwood Clan had used the chaos of their realm to invade and take over a sizable portion of their former territory. After all, Ironwood Clan would be less than a third of its current size if it had not vassalized Free Union and conquered Duchy of Revyola.

On top of that, it formally allied with Grand Duchy of Sarang less than a month ago, cementing the fact that Galburia was not going to reclaiming any time soon.

The king of Galburia was probably pissed to the core.

But to send _that man _of all people as an ambassador? That was asking for war, if it was not a declaration of war already.

Pyrcol was just happy his liege lord decided to not declare war on the spot; lesser leaders with greater power have declared war for less.

"Will this be the end of it, though?" he muttered to himself. "Is Galburia just trying to insult us or is it looking for war?"

He would drink to peace, but if Galburia pushed as they do with their raiders with this, it was unlikely for peace to last.

* * *

When I reached my chamber and closed the door, I found a corner of my room shifting a little.

"Who's t- Oh, it's you, Candy."

Candy strode out of the dark corner of the room. It seems she used her "Shadow Step" to get to our guest room first.

"What's wrong?" she asked gently.

I sighed. "You know what, Candy. Bastards can't leave us alone for a single minute," I replied as I took off the silk clothes that I had to wear for the last few days. These clothes were of a mix of green and blue. I threw them onto the nightstand while tossing the chainmail to the ground, uncaring in my tired state; talking and chatting with people made me tired.

Candy took off her dress as well, leaving her in her undergarments, and she joined me in the bed. She latched onto my chest and arm.

"Just sleep and let your tired go," she commanded.

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 153:**

We were back in Ironwood City, and perhaps, it was good that I got here as soon as the wedding celebration was over.

And well, it was good to be home.

* * *

I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of this.

Ping!

**[New Quest!]**

**[Quest: Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola!**

**Description: Galburia's nobles and kings have always worshiped the Slave God Ank. You who has brought upon them the wrath of the Red War God and stolen their territory is an enemy of Slave God Ank. King of Galburia and his Ank worshiping nobles are now preparing for a Crusade against the Ironwood Clan and their allies. Fortunately for you, Slave God Ank demands a long preparation time for any holy wars made in his name. You have five years.**

**Requirement:**  
**1*Match the number of S-rankers Kingdom of Galburia is going to employ (#: 25)**

**Optional Requirement:**  
**1*Save up 1,000 Gold Coins**  
**2*Build up levy size to 10,000**

**Reward:**  
**Req*+10 LvLs**  
**Req*+10 HP to all fighters under Ironwood Clan for 12 months**  
**ORq1*+1,000 Gold Coins**  
**0Rq2*+Levy morale +100% for 12 months**

**Failure:**  
**Req*-10% morale to all fighters under Ironwood Clan for 12 months]**

"...The fuck?"

* * *

**Interesting News around the World**  
**Ruto's Year 3 + Day 150:**

*King of Galburia has declared his intention to wage a Holy Crusade against the infidels of Ironwood Clan for taking the Slave God Ank's land. He will follow the ritual of his god, which means that the actual holy war will be declared 5 years from now. In response to this, both of the Ironwood Clan's allies, the Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi and Grand Duchy of Sarang has declared their own intention to support the Ironwood Clan in the upcoming Holy War.

*Duchy of Kan, whose dukes have always been ardent supporter of Slave God Ank's crusades, has declared their intention to support the Kingdom of Galburia in the upcoming Holy War for Duchy of Revyola.

*Dewfoot Valley has created a mutual defense treaty with Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi. They have also made a non-aggression pact with North and South Kermania.

*Nebligen Wald lost most of its forces to Volreek and Tecari Duchy's combined subjugation army. It is mere weeks from becoming history.

*One of the desert scarab warring hives, the Hive of Uel, which has been the most outward expressionistic, lost a battle in which it lost fifty thousand and three hundred of its warriors, a roughly 70% of their army. This has led to another internal war between the desert scarab hives. Taking advantage of this, Land of Wolshang has pushed its northwestern border back to reclaim its lost territory and more.

(Map Update!)

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 3 + Day 153:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 149  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 218.5(+989) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,760 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1978(1483.50(SGMII))  
DEX: 500  
AGI: 500  
END: 800  
INT: 300  
WIS: 310  
CHA: 300  
Unused Points: 0**

**Spirit: 90  
Magic: 65  
Power: 92**

**Control: 158  
Armor: 0**

**Fame(Prestige): + 35,103.1  
Infamy: +8,479**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**, **Proud**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 10)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Aegis Shield (LvL 5)  
Berserker (LvL 11)**x  
**Burst (LvL 4)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 5)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 10)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 6)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 93) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 68)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 34)  
Reinforcement (LvL 49)  
Shadow Clone (LvL 2)  
****Sonar (LvL 45)  
Time Decel (LvL 13)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 34)**x**  
Archery (LvL 39)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 26)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 35)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 41)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 69)**x**  
Charging (LvL 24)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 51) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 40)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 41)**  
**Fireball (LvL 19) - Fire Whip (LvL 2)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Intimidation (LvL 51)****  
Language (LvL 8): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
****Lesser Kingship (LvL 3)****  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 40)  
Mapping (LvL 23)  
Negotiation (LvL 18) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 14)  
Physical Durability (LvL 56)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 24)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 24)  
Teaching (LvL 24)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 47)  
Trapping (LvL 52)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 79)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **,**Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , **Lizardmen**, Earth Fairy, Orc, Elf, **Drakken**

**(Darkened races make up more than 5% of the total population. **Non-highlighted races make up less than 5% of the total population**)**

**Warrior Count:** 901

**Total:** 12,280

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,154

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 7,856**  
regionalPower**: 7.3

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.  
**Kragnok** \- Scorchscale Clan representative.

**Vassals (tribes and clans removed due to how small their power weighs in)**

**Pyrcol** \- Lower Carpathi City-States (regionalPower: 2.3)  
**Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Vyyagrin al'Shavi** \- Free Union (regionalPower: 5)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 7.2)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +950 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 14)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 9)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -100 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 6.4)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Important Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set (Broken)****  
Contract Emblem for County of Upper Carpathi  
Contract Emblem for Duchy of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Western Mari  
Contract Emblem for County of Eastern Mari  
****Contract Emblem for County of Northern Dynland **(forgot about this)**  
Vassal-Liege Contract with Free Union (Elric Brothers and al'Shavi)**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**


	79. Chapter 79

**I'm surprised no one reviewed the latest chapter yet. It's probably another one of the site's review downs.**

**Anyways, if you had something to say that was important, send me a PM, but other than that, I hope you enjoy this new chapter.**

* * *

_**Rounding Out**_

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 159:  
**

"So ... are they playing with us or are they serious about this?"

Considering what was just announced to my Small Chief Council, I didn't fault Iskan for his question. After all, if someone declared outright in public for all to hear that they were going to invade us in five years, I would normally think of it as a trick.

Now, though? I got the quest for the defense against the holy war, so I didn't think it was untrue or some kind of a lie.

Galburia intended on fighting us at our own full power with at least 25 S-rankers.

That was a serious threat.

So I called forth all of the small chiefs of Ironwood Clan, including the Councilors of the Free Union, and hosted this meeting.

The small chief council room was a way too small for the meeting itself, however. This led us to the place we now occupied: the "Hall of Meetings."

Constructed several months ago as I realized that there was a need of a place for large gatherings of important people in my clan, I had issued the construction of the Hall of Meetings.

No one liked the name I gave it, let me tell you that.

Shirou designed the place by himself, and had copied the Hall of Meeting's central meeting room after something he called the "Roman Senate."

I, who did not come from the same world as he, knew nothing. But when it was completed, it was sight to behold. While on the outside, it followed the architecture of my city with the growing plants and grey and white cobblestone, the inside of the Hall was built completely with marble.

It also cost me a third of my private funds, which had been about 800 gold coins before the construction began.

I was just thankful that my people were good at building things and building them fast.

And it was in that Hall that I sat in the center while the Small Chiefs, Councilors, and representatives from the rest of my lands came to hear us.

"Five years," I said as I looked around. "Is it possible to raise 25 S-rankers among us in that time?" I asked.

My small chief councilors looked nervous.

"Normally..." Kragnok Scorchscale, the leader of the Scorchscale Clan, began. "It takes decades for someone to become a S-rankers, never mind their own class skills. But I know that you are capable of granting anyone a class, so that takes off a literal decade from most of our training, but I don't think it's possible. Even if we had another decade to prepare ourselves, raising 25 S-ranker is near impossibility."

I let my fingers drum on the table as I thought about it.

"So if I want to have 25 S-rankers before the invasion..." I said slowly.

"You have to recruit them from elsewhere," Shirou finished for me. "...Or you can mass produce A-rankers."

Everyone turned to Shirou.

"How so?" one of the lizardkin representative asked.

"Well, we have five years, right?"

I nodded as did most of the council.

He turned to me. "High Chief Ruto, how many A-rankers do we have among the Highlanders?"

I frowned. Why did he ask me?

... Oh, he wanted everyone to know.

I grinned. "Fifty."

"And how long did it take for the clan to raise those fifty?"

"Less than two years."

Suddenly, everyone was murmuring and speaking.

Because I was caught up in my city so much, I had forgotten something.

To become an A-ranker, one had to train for at least two decades. I had trained my Highland Warriors to become A-rankers in tenth of the usual time for anyone to become an A-ranker.

Talk about OP.

"While I am unsure if any of these A-rankers will be able to achieve S-rank in the next five years, I have no doubt that we will be able to raise up hundred, or even three hundred, in the span of time give to us. I say that rather than recruiting 25 S-rankers who may or may not even be loyal to us, let us raise five hundred A-rankers! Let us raise a thousand A-rankers!"

The entire room went silent at the thought of a thousand A-rankers under the clan's command.

A C-ranker was worth a dozen men.

A B-ranker was worth a hundred men.

An A-ranker was worth a thousand men.

A thousand A-rankers.

"I think I can do better than that," I said with a grin. "Two thousand."

The tune changed. People were no longer talking about the doom of the clan as they did when they first entered these halls. No, they were now talking about smashing the Galburian forces. Of becoming victorious. Of becoming powerful.

Of the mighty empire that the clan will rule.

"But let us not forget the B-rankers and C-rankers who will also be in the Highland Warriors. Don't they outnumber the A-rankers by like ten times?"

I could see old men and women in the hall calculating just how powerful we could become in five years.

50 A-rankers and ten times that B-rank and C-rankers in less than two years.

2,000 A-rankers and ten times that B-rankers and C-rankers in the next five years.

I grinned as I saw their eyes light up as they pumped themselves up.

"Ladies and gentlemen," I said as I stood up. "This is going to be a piece of cake."

**[Quest Altered!]**

**[Quest: Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola!**

**Description:  
Galburia's nobles and kings have always worshiped the Slave God Ank. You who has brought upon them the wrath of the Red War God and stolen their territory is an enemy of Slave God Ank. King of Galburia and his Ank worshiping nobles are now preparing for a Crusade against the Ironwood Clan and their allies. Fortunately for you, Slave God Ank demands a long preparation time for any holy wars made in his name. You have five years.**

**Requirement:**  
**1*Match the number of S-rankers Kingdom of Galburia is going to employ (#: 25)  
or  
*Gather two thousand A-rankers to match and overwhelm the Kingdom of Galburia!**

**Optional Requirement:**  
**1*Save up 1,000 Gold Coins**  
**2*Build up levy size to 10,000**

**Reward:**  
**Req*+10 LvLs**  
**Req*+10 HP to all fighters under Ironwood Clan for 12 months**  
**ORq1*+1,000 Gold Coins**  
**0Rq2*+Levy morale +100% for 12 months**

**Failure:**  
**Req*-10% morale to all fighters under Ironwood Clan for 12 months]**

* * *

"Ruto, I think you're a bit crazy."

I scoffed. "I see floating screens where no one else sees. You think I'm only 'a bit' crazy?"

Shirou rolled his eyes as he walked up to my right side.

We were in the Hall of Meeting's fourth floor balcony. While the first and second floors of the Hall of Meetings was dedicated to public meeting halls and rooms, the third and fourth floors had been designed to throw feasts and ceremonies.

It was also where most of the delegates from around my territory were now celebrating their premature "defeat" of the Galburia.

I thought them stupid for such a celebration. You couldn't know how the war was going to go until you fought them on the battlefield. I still didn't stop them, however, because I knew that such a jubilation was going to help in encouraging them to spread the "good news."

Shirou didn't question my logic, nor did he ask for it. He probably assumed that I was doing what I thought was best.

"Two thousand A-rankers, huh?" I grimaced. Even though I had gone off and said two thousand, two thousand was not a easy number to match up to. Hell, I barely had over nine hundred men in the Highland Warriors Order right now!

"Recruitment is going to be our biggest issue then," he replied.

I nodded as we watched the setting sun.

"Well, I leave the recruitment to you, Senna, and Iskan," I said as I turned around and walked out. "I'm going to find out ways to improve myself."

"Oi, don't leave all of the hard work to us!"

"You signed up for this."

"We did not!"

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 160:**

The news about what I could accomplish with my "special training" had reached the ears of my people. This along with the news that Galburia was going to be attacking us years from now spurred men and women to sign up.

To my surprise, it was the refugees and former slaves that signed up the most.

...

I suppose they have a lot of anger and frustration pent up and were willing to take this chance to get back at them.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 167:**

To better handle recruitment, specialization, and training, I created three new orders.

The Ironwood Highland Warriors were now going to be composed primarily of traditional fighters and tanks.

The newly created Ironwood Blue Cataclysm Order and the Ironwood Black Skull Order were going to specialize in magic and sabotage, respectively. I put the latter in the hands of three people, one of whom was Derin. I put the Blue Cataclysm Order in the hands of Senna and Riddle, our most capable mages.

The last of the new orders was the Ironwood Green Healer's Order.

I also gave orders to Dresa to increase the mining production as much as possible without straining the workers.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 181:**

The news of Galburian declaration of a holy war had apparently reached both of my allies.

A week ago, Christopher personally came to my city and assured me that he was going to be standing by my side.

He stood before the people of my clan and declared that he and his duchy was going to stand by my clan and my side as long as he lived. This public show of his learned him a lot of points with my people, and I don't think he even knows that he did. But that's my thought. Who knows, his public speech could have been planned or something, not that I cared.

And today, Minerva Managot personally came to my humble city.

I suspected she just wanted to use this as an excuse to fight me.

I greeted the Grand Duchess Managot's entourage as they rode up the mountain roads of my city's western entrance. At the head of the procession, I saw her. She saw me too apparently, and jumped off her horse without missing a beat. Her servant caught the reins of the horse without pause while the entire entourage continued forward as if nothing significant happened (like their own duchess getting off the horse).

"Ruto~!" Minerva grinned as she jumped towards me at subsonic speed -just barely subsonic- and slammed into me. I grunted at the force exerted by herself and the armor she wore. If it wasn't for my [Physical Durability] and my own high END, I would've broken a few bones there.

"Hi ... Minerva..." I muttered.

"Battle Junkie" Minerva Managot, the Grand Duchess of the Sarang.

To my surprise, she was actually respected within my own clan's main warrior order. Highlanders placed her right next to me in terms of who they wanted to become like.

"Hey hey, Ruto?"

"...Yeah?"

"Let's fight."

"Goddamn you," I hissed.

She just grinned her maniac grin and dragged me down the mountain to an empty forest to have her way with me.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 200:**

It was to the entire clan's surprise when the Northern Kermanian ambassadors came to support my cause.

They stood before the public in front of my citadel and declared their intention to support me and my defense against the "servants of the heretic slave god Ankh."

Once they were led inside, however, they became more business-like than a merchant.

They were willing to help me against the "Galburian heretics" to my east and west, but they wanted ten years of military access along the eastern borders of my land in exchange once we were victorious against Kingdom of Galburia and Duchy of Kan.

I easily agreed.

* * *

**Interesting News around the World**  
**Ruto's Year 3 + Day 200:**

*Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi and Grand Duchy of Sarang affirm their alliance with Ironwood Clan publicly. What was surprising was the fact that theocratic republic of Northern Kermania also declared their support against the worshipers of slave god Ankh.

*Warring States of Canterrius rages on to its sixth month.

*Titular Principality of the Red Drakken Flight emerged victorious against the Duke of Queen. Separate invasions spurred by the Red Drakken Flight's urging of other dukes and counts surrounding the Duke of Queen has led to the Duchy of Queen being carved up between the three forces. With only a token of his previous land left, the Duke of Queen has degraded to a mere Count.

*Due to lack of aggressive expansion for some time on part of the Great Five Dwarven Alliance's part, the defensive coalition against it has disbanded.

*The loss of a goal to take land from Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire and internal dispute has led to disbanding of the Great Five Dwarven Alliance.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 3 + Day 153:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 149  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 218.5(+989) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,760 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1978(1483.50(SGMII))  
DEX: 500  
AGI: 500  
END: 800  
INT: 300  
WIS: 310  
CHA: 300  
Unused Points: 0**

**Spirit: 90  
Magic: 65  
Power: 92**

**Control: 158  
Armor: 0**

**Fame(Prestige): + 35,103.1  
Infamy: +8,479**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**, **Proud**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 10)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Aegis Shield (LvL 5)  
Berserker (LvL 11)**x  
**Burst (LvL 4)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 5)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 10)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 6)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 93) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 68)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 34)  
Reinforcement (LvL 49)  
Shadow Clone (LvL 2)  
****Sonar (LvL 45)  
Time Decel (LvL 13)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 34)**x**  
Archery (LvL 39)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 26)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 35)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 41)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 69)**x**  
Charging (LvL 24)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 51) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 40)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 41)**  
**Fireball (LvL 19) - Fire Whip (LvL 2)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Intimidation (LvL 51)****  
Language (LvL 8): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
****Lesser Kingship (LvL 3)****  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 40)  
Mapping (LvL 23)  
Negotiation (LvL 18) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 14)  
Physical Durability (LvL 56)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 24)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 24)  
Teaching (LvL 24)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 47)  
Trapping (LvL 52)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 79)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **,**Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , **Lizardmen**, Earth Fairy, Orc, Elf, **Drakken**

**(Darkened races make up more than 5% of the total population. **Non-highlighted races make up less than 5% of the total population**)**

**Ironwood Highlander Warrior Count: **857  
**Ironwood Blue Cataclysm Mage Count**: 65  
**Ironwood Black Skull Reaper Count:** 99  
**Ironwood Green Healer Count:** 28

**Total City Population:** 12,866

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,222

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 7,856**  
regionalPower**: 7.3

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.  
**Kragnok** \- Scorchscale Clan representative.

**Vassals **

**Pyrcol** \- Lower Carpathi City-States (regionalPower: 2.3)  
**Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Vyyagrin al'Shavi** \- Free Union (regionalPower: 5)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi  
**Grand Duchess Minverva Managot** of the Sarang

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 7.2)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +950 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 14)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 9)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -100 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 6.4)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Important Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set (Broken)****  
Contract Emblem for County of Upper Carpathi  
Contract Emblem for Duchy of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Western Mari  
Contract Emblem for County of Eastern Mari  
****Contract Emblem for County of Northern Dynland **(forgot about this)**  
Vassal-Liege Contract with Free Union (Elric Brothers and al'Shavi)**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!  
****Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)****  
**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**


	80. Chapter 80

**Surprise! I updated another chapter!**

**My gaming passion died a little and I did more chores earlier, so I had some time to write more story. Vacation is such a wonderful thing.**

**Anyways, enjoy the chapter.**

**By the way, this chapter is full of surprises.**

* * *

_**Arc:  
Rounding Out**_

* * *

_**Previously...**_

_**Ruto, born to a colony of imps, established a clan of his own from the scattered remains of forest denizens fleeing orcish raids. In time, his clan expanded from their tiny fort to become the regional powerhouse. Yet conflict is always on the horizon. **_

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 207:  
**

"...Wait, wait, wait. How do Greater Fairies give birth again?"

Senna smiled mystically. "We just kind of ... do."

I raised an eyebrow, and stared at the baby in her arms.

After a year and a half of being pregnant, while remaining slim, Senna gave birth to a red-haired Greater Fairy baby boy.

There wasn't even the traditional "I broke the water!" or "It hurts!" that the usual mothers say and do. No hours spent in the hospital as the wife wrangles the husband's hand or the screams that cause many a men to faint.

One day, she went to sleep. Next day, she appeared before us all with a bundle in her arms and told us all to say hi to her first child.

"Ren Emiya" was a quiet child. Even when the big adults around his mother loudly chattered and coo'ed the baby, he just took one look at us before falling asleep. His behavior, according to both Shirou and Senna, was a complete opposite of his namesake, Rin Tohsaka, Senna's older sister in her past life. Rin was supposedly very tempermental and threw tantrums quite easily.

Something about tsundere too, but I didn't quite catch Shirou's mutterings about that.

The bigger surprise was how the entire city took to the birth of Ren.

The people took it upon themselves to throw a party and feast.

This was, after all, the baby of "Queen" and "Mentor," the two people who had the most hand in the founding and shaping of the clan outside of myself.

"He's so tiny," Candy coo'ed as she tickled the sleeping boy's nose. The quiet child just whimpered once before snuggling deeper in his mother's bosoms.

'[Observe].'

**[Ren Emiya**  
**"Star Child"**

**Race: Greater Fairy/Oni**

**LvL: 1**

**HP: 10**  
**NP: 233**

**STR: 2**  
**END: 3**  
**AGI: 1**  
**DEX: 1**  
**INT: 2**  
**WIS: 1**  
**CHA: 2**

**Power: 2**  
**Spirit: 2**  
**Magic: 2**

**Traits:**  
**Quiet, Genius, Content, "Star Child"]**

**[Star Child (Trait)**  
_The stars have a shine to this child._  
**Effect: x2 effect to all Stellar-element spells and magic**  
**Effect: x2 Reputation Gain with Stellar-element beings]**

"Huh."

Shirou looked at me with a questioning look for my odd utterance.

"He has four traits already."

Everyone turned to me.

"Quiet," they snickered. "Genius," Senna and Shirou beamed. "Content," they looked confused. "'Star Child.'"

"What does the last one do?" Iskan asked.

"Anything star related, he'll be exceptionally good at it," I replied with a shrug. "Not much more information than that."

Still, it was a joyous occasion.

Soon, we would have a party too. People would enjoy themselves and forget about the looming war for a day with this good news.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 211:**

The news about Ren's birth had traveled far and wide. Why wouldn't it? To our enemies, Ren was the child of "Sword King" Emiya. To our allies, Ren was still the child of "Teacher of Ironwood" and the "Queen of Ironwood."

The boy had fame and infamy catching up to him as soon as he was born.

Christopher visited again. He brought gifts too.

I just hoped Minerva wouldn't come.

Training for the three orders were going well. We actually had two fighters reach the S-rank, a Guardian and a Luminescence Mage. They were both humans, to everyone's surprise, and had been ranking up quickly over the past few months.

Garen and Lux, they call themselves. They had been refugees among the Galburian refugees, and also one of those who were capable of defending the refugees as they fled their war-torn homeland.

Nice boy and girl. They were willing to fight, despite being only teenagers (or perhaps because they were teenagers?) for their people. Wait, that makes them less nice and more dutiful and responsible.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 215:**

All around us, cheers rung out in the courtyard.

I stood in the center with my fists held up and a new set of armor made. Since the mithril was still unable for forging because we still didn't have Lava Furnace for our city -and the entire clan actually- and the fact that I didn't want to use mithril for my armor, the skilled Dhan'Thal dwarves were willing to invest a huge quantity of their time to create me another suit of armor.

This time, though, they took in all of the pollodium that the city held.

All 2 metric ton of it. They also got me to dump them 1,000,000 units of mana over the course of a week into well-carved rubies and sapphires.

I now wore the result of it.

**[Dhan'Thal Pollodium Mail**  
**Quality: Rare**  
**Effect: -500 physical damage to area  
****Effect: -10% fall damage**** to area****]**

**[Dhan'Thal Pollodium Shoulder Guards**  
**Quality: Rare**  
**Effect: -300 physical damage to area  
****Effect: -10% fall damage**** to area****]**

**[Dhan'Thal Pollodium Greaves**  
**Quality: Uncommon**  
**Effect: -200 physical damage to area  
****Effect: -10% fall damage**** to area****]**

**[Dhan'Thal Pollodium Thigh Guards**  
**Quality: Uncommon**  
**Effect: -400 physical damage to area  
Effect: -10% fall damage**** to area****]**

**[Dhan'Thal Pollodium Plated Gloves**  
**Quality: Uncommon**  
**Effect: x1.1 Physical Damage multiplier for fist-techniques and skills  
Effect: -10% fall damage**** to area****]**

Apparently, the magic -or the science?- behind my armor set was that pollodium had been saturated in my mana, and the magicians of the Dhan'Thal smithies cast a spell that "forced out impurities." The spell worked with the mana saturated in the pollodium armor, whose substance pulls and pushes with mana. By itself, it did nothing. But if something that has mana comes near it, the spell "commands" the saturated mana to push away the nearby "foreign impurities."

Shirou described it as "deceleration" armor.

This bout was to determine how good it was.

Shirou stood on the other side because ... Well, he was the only strong enough. Senna could give me trouble with her monstrous ents she controlled, but I would smash through them eventually. Shirou actually has a chance of killing me with his "Noble Phantasms" and "New Phantasms."

Like his Gae Bolg II.

Did I mention that over the last three months, he created five sets of them? So the bastard now had 10 Gae Bolg II's floating around him like a giant halo of spears and another pair in his hands. They were improved too. They required less mana per second and had a longer range now.

My only relief was that it still didn't have the "one-strike-one-kill" function of its predecessor, Gae Bolg.

And people thought I was too OP. If this world had even three guys like Shirou -a prospect too real- whose power outstripped mine from the get-go, I needed all advantages I can get.

Iskan, the Grandmaster of the Highlander Warriors, was the judge. He stood between the two of us and also far away enough that whatever we do right off the bat of his 'start' call would not harm him.

This meant that he was on the edge of the training ground on top of a box.

But Senna decided to make our spar into a bloody entertainment for the city, and had lined up several martial bouts before Shirou and I had arrived.

How she knew about this, I wouldn't -. No, that's a lie. She's the one who takes care of all finances. Who am I kidding? Huge movement of pollodium? That's a big ass ping in her radar.

So she stood behind Iskan on top of an ent she summoned. This ent had a lot of flowers on it. Right next to her, a tauren guy stood in a suit and a stone with lots of carvings on it.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the tauren shouted into the stone. "This is the final fight of the day! A bout between Sir Shirou Emiya, our own Mentor!" Cheers trembled the ground. "And our King RUTO!"

If the previous cheer was deafening, this cheer was ear-shattering. The ground shook with the roar of the crowd. This was considering that the training ground had been sectioned off from the crowd with a dome of multi-layered magical barrier. My [Observation] told me that the barrier could take three of my full skill chain attack, which was impressive. Senna must have poured a lot of effort into that with the other magicians.

Considering that I saw several of them watching the fights while laying down with cold packs on their back, they might have strained themselves to make this barrier.

I laughed it off.

"Grandmaster Iskan, give us a go!"

Iskan stepped up -still within his box. "Shirou, Ruto. You know the rules, right? Yield, knocked out, or draw."

We nodded.

He put both of his hands in front of him and clapped. "Then gentlemen, I wish you both good luck. Fight!" he shouted as he pulled his hands away.

Shirou was the first to start. The ten Gae Bolg II's that had been lazily spinning in a wide halo all froze. They snapped their spearheads towards me and shot forth.

They all zigzaged throughout the air, trying to confuse me as to where they were going to strike.

PiercingBlowRapidFire!

My two fists multipled into twenty as they struck out, then just as all ten of the Gae Bolg IIs attempted to strike me at once, I met their attacks with my fists, two for each, and they flew away.

Unfortunately for me, they halted in midair, snapped back to orientation, targeted me, and shot back in.

I let them all strike me.

The crowd yelled out in panic, but stopped when they saw that even after all ten Gae Bolg IIs struck me all over my shoulder and chest, I was fine.

With a spin, I flung them all away, and Shirou let them clutter around the ground.

The crowd cheered.

I grinned and Shirou grinned.

Now, we were going to get a little serious with the demonstration out of the way.

"Trace On." With that aria said, he produced his Kanshou and Byakuya. He held them up loosely.

Then we clashed.

It ended up being a tie. Shirou broke the twin swords right off the bat and slammed them into my gauntlets. The resulting explosion knocked both of us out.

* * *

When I woke up at the end of the day, I got this message.

**[Sparring Session #1,665 Report**  
**+1,000 EXP]**

So if I do 250 more of these, I get to LvL Up?

... There's no way I'm going to LvL Up that way.

With those thoughts spent, I laid back down and slept.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 230:**

Ping!

**[Your lack of advancements has caused the implementation of a new system!]**

"...What the fuck," I muttered as I stared at the screen. I had been doing my 2,008th push-up of my early morning workout when this screen appeared. I sat up and pressed it.

**[Gamers' Market (System)**  
_Available to Gamers who have difficulty LvLing, this system allows the Gamer to interact with other Gamers in alternate universes! Materials and LvL can be exchanged freely! Materials (not LvL) can be sold to the market itself for points, which can be converted to EXP and LvL! Beware of scammers, though! There are no GMs!_  
**Effect: LvL Market Unlocked!**  
**Effect: LvL-Material Exchange Tab Unlocked!**  
**Effect: LvL-Point Exchange Tab Unlocked!**  
**Effect: Point-Material Exchange Tab Unlocked!**  
**Effect: Warning Unlocked! (You cannot buy the service of another Gamer or anyone under another Gamer's service)]**

"...You give this to me now?! Why the fuck couldn't I have this e- Other Gamers?" I blinked. "[Gamers' Market]."

A light blue screen popped up in front of me and a whole chat box floating to the right with more than ten tabs.

As for the market itself, there were a lot of things. Too much things, actually. There were advertisements, endorsements, quests, and so much more. On the top of the screen, I saw tabs that separated out the market in five categories.

**[LvL&amp;Mat Ex.], [LvL&amp;Pt Ex.], [Pt&amp;Mat Ex.], [Quests],** and** [GamerTube].**

The first four were simple enough. People bought and sold with the materials and points for whatever they wanted or had. Quests were posts of Gamers seeking certain materials they found hard to find.

GamerTube was wholly different. The name sounded like a ripoff of something that I really didn't know, but it was a site where Gamers posted "vidoes" or "memories" of what they did. This section had the most sub-categories built-in. I saw tabs like "Cooking Tutorials," "Torture Session 101," "LvL Grinding," and "I burned a town!"

I closed the tab and began to think.

'So my ability is not exactly "unique" and many, many, many people have it, just not reachable. Okay, okay, okay. What can I do with this then?' With that, I opened the Gamers' Market again.

I wasn't interested in GamerTube. Not yet, anyways. I wanted EXP to LvL Up. I have been LvL 149 for nearly several hundred days, damn it! I was slightly desperate!

The first category I searched thoroughly was the LvL-and-Material Exchange.

And my jaw promptly dropped.

As of the moment, I needed over two hundred thousand EXP to LvL Up to LvL 150.

I looked over what the Gamers' Market recommended to me.

**Kojiro Sasaki 022**  
**[50,000 EXP for any sword technique I don't have. Visit my page. Link]**

**Yi Soon'Shin 0188**  
**[10 EXP per kilogram of refined iron. I only buy bulk. Call me up on the chat.]**

**Dr. Krakatoa 00511**  
**[Anyone willing to trade LvL 5 bombs for 500 EXP?]**

**Zelretch 00000000000000000000000000000001**  
**[666 EXP for 1,000,000 units of mana in one container!]**

**Kerrigan 02779**  
**[1,000 EXP for non-magical species that I have yet to analyze. See my page for more info. Link]**

**Quiqakril 093**  
**[10 attractive female human and 10 attractive male human slaves for 5,000 EXP each. I'm looking to start up a farm.]**

**Naruto 100991**  
**[10,000 EXP for Hyuuga Hinata's dead body! It has to be fresh, unmarred, young, and definitely younger than 14!]**

"... What the fuck," I muttered as I stared at the last entry. "Please don't tell me there's another version of me that's a necrophiliac and a pedophile."

I clicked on him and instantly closed the screen. I dropped my face into my hands. "I did not need to see that. I did not need to see that. I did not need to see that. I did not need to see that." I shook my head and opened up the market again, which thankfully no longer had the Profile Picture of Naruto 100991 shoving his dick into a dea-.

I stopped myself before I got the image back in my mind. Then after calming myself, which was easy with the Gamer's Mind, I continued down the recommended list, which was the first five pages. I found quite a few disturbing trades, none of which were thankfully from another version of me.

I'm actually surprised that there were _a lot_ of me's running around as a Gamer. I knew about alternate universes (because I was in one), but to think that there were that many of me's running around...

I gave up counting the number of "Uzumaki Naruto's" on the recommended page after the fiftieth.

Then I found one that I liked.

**Nimue Alban 30**  
**[300 EXP each for gold coins up to 10,000. Kind of in need of cash for the kingdom I'm hoping to shape.]**

I looked at my own gold coin reserve.

**[G: 3,099]**

Then the Ironwood Clan's reserves.

**[G: 45,016]**

Guess I'm spending only my own gold coins.

I tapped on Nimue Alban 30's profile and opened up a chat. "You there?" I spoke and the chat dutifully wrote I said.

After a while, I got a reply. _[Yup. Who's this?]_

"Saw a post on the market. 300 EXP for each gold coin I provide?"

_[Oh yes, that. Do you have a lot?]_

"How does 3,099 gold coins sound?"

_[Plenty. That should give me money to buy some galleys. Send me a trade request.]_

"Umm... How do I do that? Sorry, I'm new to this market stuff."

_[Ahahaha. No problem. I was like that too. Just say [Trade Request to Nimue Alban 3300]. That should probably do it.]_

"Okay... [Trade Request to Nimue Alban 3300.]"

Ping!

And two black boxes with arrows pointing to both boxes opened up.

I dropped in the gold coins after a few minutes of experimentation, and I saw that she had "dropped" 929,700 EXP.

How much EXP did she have to spare? Cuz ... Damn.

I pressed check and she did too. After five seconds of lock with a red X mark available for me to cancel the deal -and I assumed she did too. After the five seconds were up, the two goods were exchanged.

**[LvL Up!**  
**LvL Up!**  
**LvL Up!  
LvL Up!**

**+20 Points]**

"...Wait, no other points?"

**[Due to receiving EXP, the usual reward for LVLing up is not given]**

"Well, that sucks."

**[Indeed. Did you enjoy the market?]**

"Yeah, but who am I talking to?" I asked. This was not the first time the Gamer ability talked back to me, but this is the first time it has been this proactive at responding to me. Maybe I'll get some of the answers I've had about the Gamer ability.

**[Right, I forgot. Nice to meet you. My name is Cleopatra. My last four digits are 0003. I am your "regional" moderator for the Gamers' Market. I'm chatting with you because you're the most recent addition to the Gamers' Market from my region.]**

"I suppose it's nice to talk with you?"

**[Kukuku. Nice to meet you too, "Ruto" 1. Congratulations on being the first of your Gamer selves. You are one of the many Gamer Naruto splits that exist in the multiverse, which is fairly large, just as I am one of many Cleopatras that exist in the same multiverse. This is your welcome to that community of those Gamers. Welcome to the Market, little boy.] **

With that, the chat box that had popped up without a warning closed without a warning.

... I guess my questions aren't getting answered.

* * *

**Interesting News around the World**  
**Ruto's Year 3 + Day 250:**

*Rumors of a Wild God's appearance in southern Hlynovukos Grand Duchy has led the Grand Duke to call his forces back from the frontline against the Nebligen Wald. Wild Gods are chaotic deities whose primary goal is to restore nature's supremacy upon civilization. Unlike other deities, Wild Gods are easily killable. If easily equals more then twenty-five thousand troops and ten S-rankers as casualties of the battle to slay the god in question, then easily.

*Dewfoot Valley, the southern neighbor of Hlynovukos Grand Duchy, prepares their meager army as well.

*A combined assault from most of its neighbors leave Nebligen Walkd crumbling. Only reason it is still holding out is because the current territory it holds is extremely mountainous, which makes any kind of assault daunting at best and suicidal at worst. Doesn't help that the undead "infected" the area and nothing grows there for the armies to forage. For now, Volreek/Tecari/Zipclaw/Justinian armies are just hauling burning rocks and fireballs.

*Blue Fire Drakken Flight has declared war upon its northern neighbor, the da Tandansil.

*Juvak has signed a mutual migration treaty with Kalevania Kingdom.

_(Reference for nation sizes. Kingdom of Iop'Arge is about the size of West Germany. For my younger audience, imagine a Germany cut in half unevenly with West being the x1.5 bigger portion)_

* * *

**\\\Akallas von Aerok/**

* * *

_No Rest for the Wicked _

He sighed as the last patient left his small clinic for the day.

In this small village of Izen, he had been born, grew, and lived, even if this was not his first life.

For the past thirty years, Baron Dienstardt Anhalt lived as a wholly different person from his first life. Born to Alexander Anhalt and Katherine Anhalt, he was a boy who would inherit the Barony of Izen. However, he remembered his past life, and to honor the few precious memories he could recall from it, he took up a profession that was similar to that of his past life's profession. As a paladin of Lord of Light, he took up healing as his main profession. Despite being a baron, he lived more in his humble village's church.

Just like people, his people loved him.

When the Kingdom of Galburia descended into chaos two years ago, he feared that the events of his past life was going to repeat. That he would have to take up arms to strike people down again.

To his relief, though, the war had died down.

Then the bloody king went and declared war on the Ironwood Clan.

Oh, Dienstardt knew that this was a disaster in the making. Ironwood Clan was known to have many allies, two of whom were easily the kingdom's rivals on equal footing. A war with them was a war that the kingdom could not win. So why the hell was the king declaring a war like this?

Was the king mad? Was the king's council mad? Did anyone have sense in the capital to allow such atrocities to pass?

So many questions, not enough answer.

With no choice to due to his lowly position, Dienstardt quietly continued his duty to his people.

He looked up as the bells on the church's door tingled. Someone was coming in.

His eyes hardened when he saw that the person who had entered was an imperial soldier. Dressed in chainmail armor, wool stuffed leather pants, a single cloth thrown around his neck and left shoulder, and with a single brown knapsack on his right side, this soldier wore the uniform of the imperial couriers.

But he was also familiar.

"...Brian?"

The imperial courier smiled. "It's been a while, sir."

"...Well, you did say you were going to join the army," Dienstardt replied as he stood up and opened his arms for an embrace. Brian the Imperial Courier embraced his best friend.

Once the greeting was done, Brian looked over Dienstardt and grinned. "You look like hell."

He blinked and looked at himself. His normally kept hair was all over the place, the floor of the room he was using in the church was slightly bloody from a few operations he had to perform today, and his clothes were dirty and bloodied.

Instead of fussing over the details, Dienstardt chuckled. "I suppose so."

Brian's face hardened. He reached into his knapsack, and pulled out a single scroll.

"I didn't want a stranger to be carrier of bad news."

The baron of Izen nodded as he took the scroll and opened it up.

At the top of the scroll was the insignia of the royal family.

The scroll was an imperial edict demanding that he, Dienstardt Anhalt the Lightbringer, the winner of the White Winter's Tourney five years ago, was to join the ranks of the imperial knights and to bring fifteen man-at-arms as it was required of his feudal contract.

"So they called upon me," Dienstardt sighed as he pulled out a stamp from within his pockets.

"You knew this was coming?"

"All of my peers knew that this was going to happen. We were somehow spared of the chaos of the civil war, but two wars in a row? Not a chance," he replied and stamped at the bottom, which was as good as signing "I shall obey." He rolled the scroll back up and handed it to Brian. "Good journey to you, my friend."

Brian took the scroll and nodded.

Once the man left the church, Dienstardt made his own way back to his manor at the edge of the Izen village. He nodded to the waving children, bowing elderly, and the maids.

He made his way straight to the "Forbidden Room" in his manor, undid the magical locks in place, and stepped in.

Instantly, the chill struck him like lightning. The warm air of the Galburian summer did not strike here.

Not when this was here.

He stared upon the blue blade floating in the center of the room. At its hilt, a goat's skull pointing bladeward, while the blade itself serrated towards the hilt. In absence of light, it glowed dimly and eerily. It pulsed too. As it pulsed, it released several streams of frosty air.

'Like a demented child crying out of its father,' Dienstardt thought cynically.

This sword was the tool of one of the greatest villains of his former life. This blade took his own father's life, the life of his kingdom, and then his own. It was a sword that deserved only damnation.

Yet...

It had followed him into this new life. A blade that no longer had a master aside from him.

No more Ner'zhul, just _him_, and without a master corrupting its wielder, it became simply chaotic from its own thirst.

He abhored it, because even when he didn't use it anymore, it called out to him.

_To war. To war. To war we go._

Drums beat in the background.

_To war. To War._

They grew louder as he came closer.

_To War! To War!_

The drums were deafening.

_To WAR!_

And yet, he could hear those two words.

_TO WAR!_

A repeating mantra that would never stop. A mantra that he had been hearing since his fifth birthday. A mantra that would never leave him alone, even in his sleep.

A curse that he could not rid himself of.

He silently walked up to it and stared at the runes carved into the base of the blade.

The very name of the blade remained etched there, and he mouthed its name once in distaste.

Finally, unable to willingly part with the blade, a blade that so desperately wanted to be used by its only remaining master, he reached for the handle and muttered-

_..._

_..._

_"Frostmourne hungers..."_

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 3 + Day 153:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 153  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 218.5(+989) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,760 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1978(1483.50(SGMII))  
DEX: 500  
AGI: 500  
END: 800  
INT: 300  
WIS: 310  
CHA: 300  
Unused Points: 20**

**Spirit: 90  
Magic: 65  
Power: 92**

**Control: 158  
**

**Fame(Prestige): + 35,103.1  
Infamy: +8,479**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**, **Proud**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 10)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Aegis Shield (LvL 7)  
Berserker (LvL 11)**x  
**Burst (LvL 6)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 6)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 10)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 10)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 93) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 68)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 37)  
Reinforcement (LvL 52)  
Shadow Clone (LvL 3)  
****Sonar (LvL 46)  
Time Decel (LvL 15)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 34)**x**  
Archery (LvL 39)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 26)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 35)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 41)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 69)**x**  
Charging (LvL 24)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 51) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 40)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 41)**  
**Fireball (LvL 19) - Fire Whip (LvL 2)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Intimidation (LvL 51)****  
Language (LvL 8): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
****Lesser Kingship (LvL 3)****  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 40)  
Mapping (LvL 23)  
Negotiation (LvL 18) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 14)  
Physical Durability (LvL 56)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 24)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 24)  
Teaching (LvL 24)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 47)  
Trapping (LvL 52)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 79)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **,**Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , **Lizardmen**, Earth Fairy, Orc, Elf, **Drakken**

**(Darkened races make up more than 5% of the total population. **Non-highlighted races make up less than 5% of the total population**)**

**Ironwood Highlander Warrior Count: **857  
**Ironwood Blue Cataclysm Mage Count**: 65  
**Ironwood Black Skull Reaper Count:** 99  
**Ironwood Green Healer Count:** 28

**Total City Population:** 12,866

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,222

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 7,856**  
regionalPower**: 7.3

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.  
**Kragnok** \- Scorchscale Clan representative.

**Vassals **

**Pyrcol** \- Lower Carpathi City-States (regionalPower: 2.3)  
**Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Vyyagrin al'Shavi** \- Free Union (regionalPower: 5)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi  
**Grand Duchess Minverva Managot** of the Sarang

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 7.2)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +950 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 14)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 9)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -100 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 6.4)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Important Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set (Broken)****  
Contract Emblem for County of Upper Carpathi  
Contract Emblem for Duchy of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Western Mari  
Contract Emblem for County of Eastern Mari  
****Contract Emblem for County of Northern Dynland **(forgot about this)**  
Vassal-Liege Contract with Free Union (Elric Brothers and al'Shavi)  
Dhan'Thal Pollodium Mail Armor Set**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!  
****Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)****  
**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**


	81. Chapter 81

_**Arc:  
Rounding Out**_

* * *

_**Previously...**_

_**Ruto, born to a colony of imps, established a clan of his own from the scattered remains of forest denizens fleeing orcish raids. In time, his clan expanded from their tiny fort to become the regional powerhouse. Yet conflict is always on the horizon. **_

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 251:  
**

It was only after a day of learning about the Gamers' Market that hindsight struck me.

Instead of buying useful things like skillbooks, items, and buffs, I bought LvLs.

Ping!

**["Hindsight is a bitch" +1 WIS]**

Thank you, Gamer.

I was also out of money, and I needed to raise capital again.

I was not going to be taking money from the clan's funds. My city needed that money to operate.

... How much gold did my clan as a whole operate on, anyway?

* * *

I talked to Senna about the expenses, income, and net revenue of the clan, and this was what I found out:

Expenses:  
5,266 gold per month on warrior order upkeep  
447 gold per month on armory upkeep  
388 gold per month on cleaning upkeep  
944 gold per month on R&amp;D upkeep  
581 gold per month on Trombo Worm farm upkeep  
2,375 gold per month on national patrol upkeep  
519 gold per month on Fairy Mail Service upkeep  
1,390 gold per month on administration office workers pay  
100 gold per month on funeral services upkeep  
2,227 gold per month on medical infrastructure upkeep  
2,001 gold per month on spent on military and trade outpost upkeep  
1,000 gold per month on subsidies to starting merchants and farmers

Total Cost of Operation: 17,238 gold coins per month  
_(For reference, the national economy of the entire Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi operates on 50,000 or so gold coins per month. Ironwood City alone matches 30% of the entire duchy's economy)_

Income:  
1,500 gold per month from selling trombo worm meat  
900 gold per month from trade caravan protection  
1,811 gold per month from sales tax  
677 gold per month from import tax (South Kermania)  
363 gold per month from import tax (Grand Duchy of Sarang)  
109 gold per month from import tax (Free Union)  
507 gold per month from Fairy Mail Service payment  
1,200 gold per month from sale of iron ores  
800 gold per month from sale of sunstones  
600 gold per month from mining gold ores  
3,990 gold per month from liege tax  
2,517 gold per month from sale of pollodium  
2,880 gold per month from sale of raw gems

Total Income: 17,864 gold coins per month

My clan was barely breaking even, and I took all of the pollodium away for my own use.

Oops.

Fuck.

Shit.

Senna just glared at me, and explained why she had the entertainment a few weeks ago when I fought off against Shirou to test out the armor. Because I had frivolously took away a huge chunk of the income, resulting in _a net loss of_ _1,891 gold coins per month _for almost half a year to come, she set up the show to raise in what little money the city's people were willing to spend on good entertainment and food. She managed to rake in 1,600 gold coins that day, but that was nowhere near what my clan's funds lost last month.

"Now do you see why my department is running ragged?!"

I received quite the verbal threshing in the Small Chief Council that day, even after I gave her my most sincere apology.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 259:**

With what I know now, I knew that I had to do something to offset the net loss in revenue of my clan to offset my idiotic and not so well thought out actions have caused.

To that end, I followed a rumor about a dungeon that was supposedly in Upper Carpathi to the far west. Hopefully, the dungeon was there, and I could farm for anything it could provide.

'At the same time, I'm now missing my Dungeon Creation skill from before,' I thought depressingly with fake tears streaming down my face.

[Dungeon Creation] was a skill from my previous life that allowed me to create pocket universes. I could go there and harvest resources because whatever I killed would turn into cash and materials that I could use. It was exactly through the usage of the [Dungeon Creation] that was I was able to gather enough resources to put up a fight against a hundred thousand strong army by myself.

For some reason, I couldn't recreate that skill here. When I tried, I got this error message. **[Requirement not met]**

I tried this three days ago, and it was not the first time. Because it hadn't been important when I first tried ti three years ago, I set it aside.

But now that money and other things were becoming more important and because my clan was now stabilized, I could focus on improving myself again.

I was hoping that by entering a dungeon, I will fulfill some obscure requirement needed to create the skill as well as looting it for stuff.

For that purpose, I had traveled with four Elite Highland Warriors, all of whom were A-rankers, to the location of the rumor.

Unfortunately, the place was a maze.

The place in question was called the "Kern of Nausea." It was a giant valley shaped like a crater with numerous hills and forests within it with steep cliffs surrounding it all. There was two ways in and out, but the northern passage was guarded by a hostile tribe of trolls.

That was new, I tell ya. I approach them, thinking that they were one of the tribes underneath my rule. I needed information, and they seemed to live there. Instead of being greeted with open arms as I usually was, they threw spears at me!

In my shock, I retreated. Then the day after, I smashed into their tiny fort-city and killed the tribal leader by myself. They submitted to me, and I gave them the slightly less favorable deal compared to the rest of my vassals since they attacked me. They were to pay me provide me 30% levy and the same tax rate as others.

After that was solved, I tried to get the information I wanted, but they seemed clueless about the dungeon as my city's own rumormongers.

Which left my [Sonar] to actually find the thing.

I spent a good three days mapping out the area before I found it.

At the northwestern edge of the Kern, I found a moderately large cave opening, which I was now standing in front of.

I looked around and saw a few skulls here and there. All of them were broken and old.

"I suppose this is it...?" I muttered to myself. "Yo you guys ready...?" I asked as I turned around.

To my surprise, my elite warriors were shivering as they stared into the cave.

The strongest of them, a troll Hero-class by the name of Frevi, stood in front of the others.

"Chief," he said calmly even without giving me a look. "Do we have to go in there?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"You don't feel it...?"

I looked back towards the cave.

It was just a regular cave.

"Nope," I replied. "But tell me about what you're feeling."

"We..." A pause. That spoke a lot about what Frevi was feeling.

Frevi ti Ironwood, as he gave himself his last name, was a troll who matched Iskan one-for-one in terms of power, skills, and tactics. It was for that reason that he was the Captain of the Elite Highlanders, a group composed of merely twenty warriors but had the brains and the brawns to match two S-rankers easily.

I would know, because they took on Shirou and Juras Managot in a match. Had it not been for Shirou's numerous Noble Phantasms, the battle would've been a tie rather than a victory for Shirou and Juras.

"Well?" I asked.

"... We're going to die if we go in there."

I nodded. "Stay put then, and make sure nothing comes in. Got it?"

They let out a sigh of relief. "Yes, sir."

"Good."

With that, I walked in.

* * *

"Fireball."

A small fireball lit up on top of my palm. Its flames lit up the cave.

I realized, after a minute or so of walking, that the cave was growing wider and taller.

crick crick crack

I paused before tossing the fireball I held forward.

As it soared over a hundred meters or so, it lit up the path before me.

Undead.

"Alright boys. Are you going to drop me something good?" I muttered to myself before I charged in.

* * *

It wasn't long before Frevi and his three warriors heard the sound of combat.

The entire ground around them and the cave shook with mighty thumps and thooms.

"Man, he's letting it loose," the only human Elite Highlander muttered.

Frevi scoffed.

"What?" the human asked.

"If High Chief decided he wanted to 'let it loose,'" Frevi air-quoted. "We would be dead from the side effect of his spell. You're one of the newbies, right?"

The human growled. "Oi, I worked my way up-" he said as he stood up.

"I meant time spent in the order, human. Don't be defensive."

The human paused and nodded, sitting back down on the rock.

"Yeah, you definitely weren't there for the Battle of M'Arkan or Battle of the Pillar Fields," another troll Elite Highlander said from a bit afar.

Frevi looked over his shoulder.

Arlan the Troll was one of the strongest warriors within the Highlander Warriors. The only reason he had not been gifted the position of being the Captain of the Elite Highlanders was because he was too focused on improving himself.

Even now when other elite warriors lounged around, he trained, albeit lightly.

"What was the battle like, Arlan?" Frevi asked. "I've only been to M'Arkan so..."

Arlan paused in his upward vertical strike that seemed to blur and cross a whole three meters in less than a second. Then he sheathed his 2 meter longsword.

He walked over to the others and sat down on another rock.

"High Chief looked invincible." Despite being a stuck up warrior who hated showing his weak side, there was a sure undertone of reverence when Arlan said that. "Land moved with each strike he made. The air vibrated inside my own lungs with each kick he dished. He carved through mountains of then-Revyolan soldiers without mercy. He snapped his arms out like a snake to block a strike that would've killed one of our own and in the same instance that he blocked the blow, he would take off the offender's head and a swing of his fist.

"Then came the fight with that mad Grand Duchess."

Everyone shivered, including Frevi.

Grand Duchess Minvera Managot was crazy. She was so bloodthirsty that even orcs, the supposed bloodthirstiest of the races in all of Ironwood Clan's Listed Races, were reluctant to go near her.

The fact that she dished out spells and techniques that would render the average man dead in a split second did not help in her public image.

"This was before they got 'buddy-buddy-we-fight-for-shits-and-giggles.' She was really trying to kill him. With but a single attack, she created what we now call the 'Dirt Pillars' in South Revyola. Then she punched the chief through pillars upon pillars before he did the same to her. If any one of us struck a pillar at the speed that either of them did, we would become instantly a splat and a dent."

"...So who won?"

Arlan smacked the human on the head. "Of course the chief won, even if it cost him a mangled arm!" he growled.

"Wait, that Managot only managed to mangle one arm? I thought it was a battle to the death!" the last member of the Elite Highlanders the chief brought gasped. She was a Greater Fairy who had become a little too interested in knives and arrows. Added to her natural nature magic, which allowed her to coat her weapons in poison without anyone knowing better -unless they were magical signature sensors- no one would know they were strike by her poison until they were screaming bloody on the ground.

That happened before in the training ground when someone groped her.

"As if. Managot is too weak to actually kill the chief. If anything, the chief may have gone a little easy on her."

"They raise hills from flat plains, and that's easy?"

"He didn't obliterate her with continuous use of his fists like he did against imperial raiders a year ago. He just punched her once or twice. I think."

* * *

So far I had killed these things:

Undead Skeleton (x31)  
Undead Skeleton armed with weapons (x6)  
Feral Earth Elemental (x19)  
Feral Earth Greater Elemental (x2)  
Dying Earth Elemental (x1)

The last elemental was a mercy. He had been stuck inside this cave along with his feral brethrens, and had been subject to much pain. He had been too attached to them to leave, and had endured. He had been on his last ropes, however, by the time I came along. I learned from the dying earth elemental that when elementals become "feral," they lose their "sanity" or "humanity"; nothing more than husks of power ready to ravage everything around them, including each other.

The undead were an oddity, though. They didn't belong here where elementals roamed.

Could they be the cause of the feral elementals? It was something to think about.

I also got several items that they dropped as I had expected.

Lesser Soul Gem (x5)  
Soul Gem (x1)  
Bones (x77)  
Elemental Core: Earth (x10)  
Iron Ore (x41)  
Gold Ore (x1)  
Pollodium scraps (x6)  
Blood Gem (x1)  
1,076 EXP (0.45% of EXP needed for LvL Up)

If I repeat this dungeon about two hundred twenty times, I might LvL Up.

... Yeah, no way I'm grinding this low LvL of a dungeon. Most of the "mobs" here were less than LvL 50.

I wonder if anyone on the [Gamers' Market] would be willing to buy the drops. I had no use for most of these.

Ping!

**[Requiremet met for skill: Instant Dungeon Generation!]**

**[Your INT has gone up by 1 due to your decision to try an experimental procedure]**

"Sweet."

* * *

**Interesting News around the World**  
**Ruto's Year 3 + Day 250:**

*Nothing interesting has happened in the past 10 days. Unless you count the arrest of a Caladrian citizen fucking a Uxukhanian goat.

* * *

**\Akallas von Aerok/**

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 3 + Day 260:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 153  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker - ****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 218.5(+989) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,760 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1978(1483.50(SGMII))  
DEX: 500  
AGI: 500  
END: 800  
INT: 301  
WIS: 311  
CHA: 300  
Unused Points: 21**

**Spirit: 90  
Magic: 65  
Power: 92**

**Control: 158  
**

**Fame(Prestige): + 35,103.1  
Infamy: +8,479**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**, **Proud**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 10)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Aegis Shield (LvL 7)  
Berserker (LvL 11)**x  
**Burst (LvL 6)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 6)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 10)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 10)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 93) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 68)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 37)  
Reinforcement (LvL 52)  
Shadow Clone (LvL 3)  
****Sonar (LvL 46)  
Time Decel (LvL 15)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 34)**x**  
Archery (LvL 39)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 26)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 35)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 41)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 69)**x**  
Charging (LvL 24)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 51) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 40)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 41)**  
**Fireball (LvL 19) - Fire Whip (LvL 2)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
Intimidation (LvL 51)****  
Language (LvL 8): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
****Lesser Kingship (LvL 3)****  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 40)  
Mapping (LvL 23)  
Negotiation (LvL 18) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 14)  
Physical Durability (LvL 56)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 24)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 24)  
Teaching (LvL 24)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 47)  
Trapping (LvL 52)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 79)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System  
Gamers' Market**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , Fairies, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **,**Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , **Lizardmen**, Earth Fairy, Orc, Elf, **Drakken**

**(Darkened races make up more than 5% of the total population. **Non-highlighted races make up less than 5% of the total population**)**

**Ironwood Highlander Warrior Count: **857  
**Ironwood Blue Cataclysm Mage Count**: 65  
**Ironwood Black Skull Reaper Count:** 99  
**Ironwood Green Healer Count:** 28

**Total City Population:** 12,866

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,222

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 7,856**  
regionalPower**: 7.3

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan - **Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou - **Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa - **Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golt** \- Dhan'Thal tribe chieftain.  
**Golthaum** \- Dwarves representative on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.  
**Kragnok** \- Scorchscale Clan representative.

**Vassals **

**Pyrcol** \- Lower Carpathi City-States (regionalPower: 2.3)  
**Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Vyyagrin al'Shavi** \- Free Union (regionalPower: 5)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi  
**Grand Duchess Minverva Managot** of the Sarang

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 7.2)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +950 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 14)**  
House of Zepolya +1000 (Ally)  
Kingdom of Galburi -100 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 9)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -100 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 6.4)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Important Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set (Broken)****  
Contract Emblem for County of Upper Carpathi  
Contract Emblem for Duchy of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Western Mari  
Contract Emblem for County of Eastern Mari  
****Contract Emblem for County of Northern Dynland **(forgot about this)**  
Vassal-Liege Contract with Free Union (Elric Brothers and al'Shavi)  
Dhan'Thal Pollodium Mail Armor Set**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!  
****Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)****  
**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Right now, Ruto's punch is equivalent to 3.5k STR, but this doesn't apply to any skills. Berserker with Mad Enhancements would be around 10k. Saber (Fate/Stay Night) would be around 2/3 of Ruto's own strength. That woman is not normal, I tell ya.

*I have been getting some request to upload a list of "top" gamers... I will do so for three categories below. This is my current Ruto's multiverse region, which is the region that Ruto can interact with chat or via Gamers' Market.

I made no mistakes making this list.

* * *

Disclaimer: This ranking applies to Multiverse Gamer Region #3,331 and does not account for non-Gamers.

**By overall points:**  
1\. Saitama, the One Punch Gamer (ID: 1759518)  
2\. Artoris (ID: 000001)  
3\. Gilgamesh (ID: 001003)  
4\. Uzumaki Naruto, the Immoral Fire Shadow (ID: 399998)  
5\. Han Jeehan (ID: 331991)

**By strongest invested stat:**  
1\. Saitama (STR: 591,743) (ID: 9378123)  
2\. "That Crazy Hermit" (END: 588,101) (ID: 218377)  
3\. Blood King Riruru (INT: 471,888) (ID: 121191)  
4\. Anakin Skywalker, the Grey Force (AGI: 231,178) (ID: 097351)  
5\. The Joker (WIS: 101,101) (ID: 836,220)  
_I'm going to be flamed for the last one here. I just know it._

**By number of achievements:**  
1\. Harry Potter, the Immortal Traveler (ID: 419810)  
2\. Gilgamesh the Emperor of Mankind (ID: 000001)  
3\. Lelouch vi Britannia, the Emperor of Mankind (ID: 033901)  
4\. Cayleb Ahrmahk of the Charis Empire, the Defender of Humanity (ID: 001223)  
5\. Uzumaki Naruto, the Immortal Fire Shadow (ID: 399999)


	82. Chapter 82

_**Arc:  
Rounding Out**_

* * *

_**Previously...**_

_**Ruto, born to a colony of imps, established a clan of his own from the scattered remains of forest denizens fleeing orcish raids. In time, his clan expanded from their tiny fort to become the regional powerhouse. Yet conflict is always on the horizon. **_

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 263:**

I woke up to another morning.

I slowly sat up, groggy as I was. Even if the Gamer ability kept my mind free of normal emotions and reactions, there were somethings that simply could not be averted like morning grogginess.

I kissed Candy on the cheeks before I pulled up my inventory. I picked out a pair of hemp workpants and a cotton short sleeve shirt.

Did I mention how much my city had been growing? While we were nowhere close to being even a minor textile manufacturer or textile producer, we were making enough to make our own clothes. It actually caught my eyes, and I learned to sew and tailor as well. Partially, I just thought it was cool to make my own clothes as well as encouraging my people to depend on other sources of income other than mining, which was almost half of my city's income.

The skill fell in the Crafting subskill. My skill so far with it were miserable, but I managed to make a few acceptable qualities of shirts and pair of pants from hemp.

Speaking of hemp, the stuff was resilient.

**[Hemp (Plant)**  
_Its cousin is good for getting high, but this one keeps you clothed._  
**Resource output dependent on LvL of Grasscutting skill**  
**Growth Temperature: -5°C ~ 40°C**  
**Growth Altitude: Below 400m**  
**Output: 1~10 Hemp Stalks]**

You then needed 1,000 hemp stalks to make one hemp unit, which was where all of its industrial uses came from. It could be turned into Hemp Oil, Hemp Textile, and etc. It was hard work for the farmers, considering that they lived in the city but had to go down to the valleys below to grow them.

Perhaps I should introduce a law to tax on all hemp related products? I should ask Senna about that today.

"Going out so early?"

I looked over my shoulder and saw nude Candy leaning up on her elbow.

"Hey, hon," I greeted.

She lazily crawled up to me and kissed me in the cheeks. "That woke me up."

"Are you upset about your beauty sleep?"

"Kind of. The sun isn't even up."

I raised an eyebrow and looked out of the window. Sure enough, the sun was not up just yet. Perhaps in a few minutes, but not yet.

"Make me breakfast~"

Here we go again...

* * *

It would not be until the sun was well above the horizon that Candy would let me go.

Once I was sure that she did so, I left the citadel and walked out into the streets.

The early risers greeted me and I greeted them back.

Once I was out of the city, I walked into the Dhan'Thal mines.

"[Dungeon Creation]!"

The color of the world around me swirled around before setting themselves straight and right.

But I knew that I was not in the Dhan'Thal mines that my Dhan'Thal dwarves worked diligently.

No, I had created this dungeon with elementals in mind.

Unfortunately for me, I needed to train my Physical Durability more, an endeavor that was becoming harder and harder to accomplish, so I wore no armor.

Instead, I intended to strip this dungeon down as fast as I could.

The first Rock Elemental peeked out of the corner from the entrance of the mine.

**[Dhan'Thal Mines Feral Rock Elemental**  
**LvL 21**  
**HP: 300**  
**MP: 70]**

It saw me and charged.

Even before it reached me, I projected a bow and a quiver of arrows. Without missing a beat, I performed [Rapid Fire] with projected arrows. The arrows pelted the Rock Elemental, but it did less than a quarter of its health in damage.

Then I pulled out another arrow from the quiver and forced mana into it. Instead of overloading it with mana, I set the arrow on fire and let it loose.

**-27 Physica Damage!**  
**-27 Physica Damage!**  
**-27 Physica Damage!**  
**-27 Physica Damage!**  
**-27 Physica Damage!**  
**-27 Physica Damage!**  
**-27 Physica Damage!**  
**-27 Physica Damage!**  
**-27 Physica Damage!**  
**-27 Physica Damage!**

Mid flight, the arrow burned out, but the molten "slag" of mana and fire struck the Rock Elemental.

**-40 Mixed Damage!**

The feral elemental screeched in pain as the fire consumed it and soon, it shattered and dissolved into crystal... bubbles... whatever. It popped.

'... Mixed damage, huh? That's a first I ever saw,' I thought to myself and thought about its implication. It meant that I could deal damage that can bypass armor or magic resistance. 'I should definitely make one as a skill.'

Then I checked the loot.

[Iron Ore] x2  
[Copper Ore] x1  
[Pollodium Scraps] x1  
[Pebbles] x7

Nothing rare, but I couldn't complain.

Now normally, a rock elemental would be harder than that to kill, but because of my LvL and stats, even the weakest of my attacks required less than half a dozen hits to bring any rock elemental down.

* * *

"GRROAAAWWW...!"

Such was the final moan of the latest victim to my new skill.

**[Small Flaming Arrow (LvL 1)**  
_I don't just pierce you, I burn you too!_  
**Effect: 10+(skillLvL) Fire damage added to arrow]**

By the time I finished clearing the LvL 20 Dhan'Thal Mines Dungeon, the sun had reached high up in the noons.

The reason I took so long in clearing the dungeon was because of how extensive the mines were. The dwarves kept up good signs and whatnot, which was the only reason I didn't blast my way out of the mountain.

My total loot of the day was the following:

[Iron Ore] x309  
[Copper Ore] x110  
[Silver Ore] x40  
[Lead Ore] x402  
[Gold Ore] x17  
[Raw Garnet] x35  
[Raw Amethyst] x11  
[Raw Diamond] x1  
[Pollodium Scraps] x99  
[Mithril Scraps] x1  
[Pebbles] x5,118

Total Exp: 7,711

Not a bad haul.

* * *

Lunch was a hectic affair as usual. Candy joined me in the public mess halls, where Shirou often helped out at. The warriors had finished their training as well, and they barreled in for Shirou's food. Soon, it became a ruckus as people began to rush in.

* * *

I spent the next half of my afternoon on looking through the [Gamers' Market] in search of ... random things.

I found someone selling Lava Furnace, but he demanded a million EXP in return. I was like "Noooooo thank you."

I also found a Lava Furnace blueprint for sale, but the blueprint required that I needed to have LvL 100 in Crafting and LvL 50 in Construction. I was not reaching those LvLs anytime soon, so I reluctantly moved on.

I did trade some of the raw gems for low end skill books like [Fire Lance], [Waterball], and [Fire Blast].

No one wanted pebbles, so I tossed them all in my personal forge in the citadel. I got nothing in return.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 277:**

Chief Golt of the Dhan'Thal Tribe passed away. He was three hundred nine. A funeral was to be held a week from today to allow people to give him their last respect.

Candy and I went and put a small vase of flowers in front of his coffin and a small silver figurine of Golt and myself that I made. The Dhan'Thal dwarves looked mighty impressed by it and respected me for putting effort for their former chief.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 289:**

I managed to get myself up to LvL 155 today with excessive sale of random items I found in the multiple dungeons I've created and only I can access to as well as numerous Gamers on the Gamers' Market who were willing to buy a lot of obscure things.

Like Emperor Ojin the Hachiman (ID: 339918), who was very interested in in some of my archery skills as well as raw ores that he couldn't find on his world. Apparently, there were no pollodium, mithril, adusiam, trinvonium, and so on on his world. Kind of sad, actually, since Ojin seemed to enjoy tinkering with what I sold to him too. Because of this, I had to explain what each material did. Like how pollodium required mana for acceleration, mithril being one of the toughest material in the multiverse, adusiam being the "powder keg" like rock, and trinvonium being a light absorber, which could be put to use making super dark clothes.

I also used the time after Golt's death to increase the Four Orders' recruitment.

While I respect the grim dwarf chief and mourn for his family, he had been the strongest opposition in the Small Chief Council against increasing the Three Orders' recruitment. His reasoning was that the Four Order had no loyalty to the clan nor the city but only strictly to myself.

Now, this was bad for the clan, its tribes, its chiefs, and its cities because of several reason. The foremost reason was that it was extremely likely for a very powerful order like the Highlanders to simply ignore my will -if I die- and take over the clan before my successor could take over.

He meant well, and I knew it, but his actions and votes against increasing recruitment drives when _there was a motherfucking war right in the future _was ... excruciatingly painful.

Thank the heavens that his son, Golthaum the new Dhan'Thal chief, agreed with me.

Now, I raised some tidy sum from the loots gained from my dungeons, but it also had a side effect. Due to the sudden influx of gold into my city, the price of gold among the merchants had dropped.

Oops.

So in trying to solve my city's income, I may have created a deflation of one of the income sources.

I got another verbal beatdown from both Shirou and Senna, though it was better than the last one, because this was just a honest mistake, not stupidity.

As wise as I was with all of the points I've invested into my stats, there simply was no beating the actual education of advanced economics -compared to the quality of public education in this world- the duo had received in their previous life. I lacked the _knowledge _of economics.

Sad me.

... I should buy one off the **[Gamers' Market]**.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 293:**

I LvLed Up again. Yay.

Also, more recruits for the Four Orders.

I also talked to Shirou about what skills I could get.

The first thing he did was to tell me to buy skill books of general education.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 298:**

I ogled the scene before me.

"So ... what is this?"

Riddle was grinning. While I had assigned her to be one of the leaders of the Black Skull Reapers, one of the three new orders that is supposed to specialize in infiltration, poison, and sabotage, Riddle's true passion laid with magic. She wasn't usually fancy, outspoken, or public about her passion, but her masterpiece demanded that she show the world what she was capable of.

In front of me was a large chamber built right next to the outer edge-most training ground, Taltek Training Ground, which held a place between the Third Ring(Scorchscale Borough) and the expanding Fourth Ring(non-tribal, non-clan involved human and elf borough).

The chamber was two stories high and at least 50 meters in diameter. It was built with glasssteel rather than cobblestone, trees, and earth, which was what most of our city was made out of.

Glasssteel was a funny alloy. Made out of iron, coal, and grass-silk, it was a non-transparent, extremely malleable, and tough material. It was an alloy we produced specifically to produce better armor and weapons for the soldiers of the Four Orders, but outside of that, no one had used it because it was hard to make and magic didn't like it.

Apparently, mixing sunstone made the manaphobe glasssteel into a manaphilic glasssteel with no discernable physical difference to be observed.

Anyway, Riddle had used this manaphilic glasssteel in large quantities, using the Black Skull Order's new funds and some more funds from Senna no doubt, to construct this.

"What you are looking at, chief," Riddle grinned. "Is a time dilation chamber!"

I stiffened, then looked at the construct before me in a new light. "Compression rate?"

She looked surprised. "You know about them?"

"I had some experience with them. So, the rate?"

"2 times and it prevents aging within it, but it also sucks up a lot of mana."

"How much?"

"About 150,000 units per week."

I sucked in a sharp breath. The power requirement for this chamber, it seemed was half of my own mana regeneration.

"How are you powering it up?"

"With those," she grinned as she pointed to the roof of the chamber.

On the roof of the time dilation chamber were odd things. They were green, round, and flat, blending in well with the bluish green of the glasssteel. "And they are?"

"Mana converters!" she preened. "I've been wanting to make those for quite a while, but I never had the material or the funds."

"Mana conversion from what?"

"The sun."

...Wait, so they were solar panels?

I knew about solar panels because I knew about them vaguely in my past life. I hadn't used them on any of my constructs, of course, because they were too unwieldy and didn't provide enough power for things like cannons.

But a mana solar panel? I like the idea.

"And they provide the entire energy requirement for the chamber?"

She shrugged. "No, but that's where the new jobs come in."

"... Jobs?"

"Senna and Sholva agreed to foot the bill on hiring people to power up the rest of the mana required for the chamber as long as the rest of the Orders can use it to train."

After a moment of pause as my brain cogs clunked away, I grinned. "You need my permission for this. That was their requirement for footing the bill, yes?"

"...Yeah."

"Granted."

She smiled. "Thanks."

I excused myself and walked towards the Dhan'Thal mines for another dungeon run-

Ping!

**[Your city has gained a modifier!]**

**[Riddle's Chamber (LvL 1)**  
**This is Riddle's masterpiece. Take care of it, and it'll take care of you.**  
**Active: -50% training required for B to A rank upgrade**  
**Active: -50% training required for C to B rank upgrade**  
**Active: -50% training required for D to C rank upgrade**  
**Active: -50% training required for F to D rank upgrade**  
**Active: +(structureLvL) years of lifespan added to residents of Ironwood City**  
**Effect:-100 gold per month]**

I blinked.

Cities had modifiers, too?

"[Dungeon Creation]," I said and reality warped.

I was now standing in empty street of a ghost town version of my city.

No need to scare my people by looking at nothing and talking to myself, even if I already had a bit of a reputation for it.

"Umm... City?"

Nothing.

"City Modifiers?"

Nothing.

"...Help?"

Ping!

**[You have unlocked the Help Search Bar!]**

A search bar came up.

... You know, this would have been way easier early on.

"City modifier."

Ping!

The search bar closed and a new screen popped up.

"[City Manager]," I read the title of the screen. "Huh."

I looked at the screen and its details. It had _ten_ tabs on top of it. The tabs read Overview, Government, Policies, Production, Trade, Military, Population, Education, Sanitation, and Mood.

That's probably a lot of information.

The Overview was the tab I was on right now, which split the screen to four boxes.

One had my portrait, which I don't remember taking. It had my normal expressionless face which smiled once in a while.

**High Chief Ruto**  
**Benevolent: +10% Happiness**  
**Wise Council: +10% Policy/Edict Effectiveness**  
**Warrior King: +5% Military Research Speed, +5% Military Capacity, +5% War Happiness**  
**Eccentric Man: +5% Ethics Divergence**

"...Ethics Divergence?"

Ping!

**[Ethics Divergence**  
**How fast your population drifts away from your government's ideals. Positive (+) is bad for you and your government.]**

"Oh."

Guess eccentricity is bad...?

Next box held the generalized financial situation of my city. How much gold it had, how much it made, and how much it spent. Again, it was still in the negative for monthly income thanks to myself.

The third box, which was on the top left, showed me my "government."

Apparently, my Ironwood Clan was a "individualist," "materialist," and "xenophile" government that was currently under a "Enlightened Monarchy" form of government.

The final box held "Population Size" which 8 small figures, and how happy each of those figures were. It didn't show me what these figures represented.

Most of them were around 65~75%, but one held a 20% happiness. I quickly clicked it, wanting to know why someone was unhappy in my city.

**Ironwood City Population #6 (Fourth Ring)**  
**Trolls(10%), ****Arakkoa(20%), ****Kobold(30%),**** Humans(40%)**

**Base: 50%**  
**Non-True Race Leader: -5%**  
**Benevolent: +10%**  
**Wrong Ethics: -20%  
Wrong Government Form: -10%  
Preparing War with Homeland: -5%**

Wrong ethics? So they thought and lived differently than I did so they were unhappy? They were unhappy about me preparing to defend the very city and the clan that they live with?

What the fuck?

I clicked on the population again.

**Ethics of Pop #6:**  
**Fanatic Spiritual (+10% Happiness)**  
**Collectivist (+50% Slavery tolerance)**  
**"Despotic State" Government**  
**Slave Mindset (Needs orders)**

So in essence, they were unhappy because of reasons too many to state? What the hell was I supposed to do?

... I could go ask Shirou and Senna.

Or I could try to fix this myself.

'Actually,' I thought as I grinned. 'This may help out my recruitment drive.'

Ping!

**[Quest related to City Modifiers are now unlocked!]**

Ping!

**[Quest: You can't be UNHAPPY in my city!**

**Requirement:**  
***Bring up all major population's happiness to at least 50% in the next 12 months.**

**Failure:**  
***-50% Productiveness of unhappy population for next 12 months.**

**Success:**  
***+200% Productiveness of now-Happy population for next 6 months.**

**Accept?**  
**Y / N ?]**

Of course, I choose yes!

* * *

**\Akallas von Aerok/**

* * *

**Interesting News around the World**  
**Ruto's Year 3 + Day 300:**

*Raic-Duhlsi Vampiric Republic declared war on Ulster. Again.

*Thornscorch Drakken Clan and White fire Drakken Kingdom allied with each other and invaded Ba'Plaigia Kingdom of Giants.

*Wo'Gaka Giant Clan, rival of the Ba'Plaigia, saw this as a chance and declared their own war.

*This led to Taurica, the southern rival of Wo'Gaka, to declare war on Wo'Gaka.

*The sudden declaration of multiple wars led to County of Ahmzhan and Republic of London allying together in a mutual defensive treaty.

*Hexa Syndicate Zone fell apart after a grueling execution of multiple of its "gang bosses" by the agents of Kingdom of Caladria. This led to all of its neighbors trying to take a piece out of the territory. Caladria claimed most of it anyway.

*Kingdom of Galburia's preparation for their Holy War has started in earnest with the end of the Crusade Ceremony.

* * *

**\Akallas von Aerok/**

* * *

**Derin's Misadventures of Administration**

He gawked.

"What?"

"You've been reassigned," Iskan said as he handed over a small pile of parchments. "Here are your duties."

"I'm being moved to administration?!" Derin shrieked. Normally, he would not have shrieked, but this was a change that was near unacceptable. He was a man of feet. Being stuck in a small building looking through piles of paperwork was a big _no-no_.

Iskan scoffed. "As if. What I'm giving you here is a list of individuals who'll make up a separate order."

"A ... separate order?"

The Marshal of Ironwood Clan nodded. "You missed the last Small Chief Council because you were out in the field. Basically put, the Highlanders are being split up and will form three more orders. Each order will have their own leaders, and you have been chosen as one of the new leaders of the Black Skull Order."

"...Ominous naming sense. Was it Ruto?"

Iskan sighed. "Yeah. He's still not good at names."

Derin frowned as he took the pile or parchments from Iskan.

Ruto's previous attempt at naming things had been "Our Borough #2." Needless to say, he wasn't great at it.

"So what is this ... order that I'm taking charge of?" Derin asked as he read the first parchment in the pile he held. The parchment held the information on a warrior Derin knew, because he often discussed poison with this elf man. The elf, however, had been an assassin before joining up with the Ironwood Highlanders.

"The first two profiles are your fellow leaders, so your new order will have a total of three leaders at any given time."

"Huh."

The next profile was ... Riddle?

As in leader of the devilkin, the wife of Juras Managot?

"Seduction...?" Derin made a guess.

"Infiltration," Iskan corrected. "But what do I know. Succubi are sexy and they go through doors we can never go through. Riddle will be taking care of the infiltration division with your new order. You, on the other hand, will be dealing with the smallest division within the Black Skull Order: the Poison Research, Development, and Deployment Division."

"So..."

"High Chief is putting you to work with your best skill. His decision, not mine. I find this entire new order to be ... distasteful," he grumbled.

Derin could understand Iskan's perspective. Iskan was a man of honor and chivalry, which was odd because he was a troll. Most trolls, even Ironwood Trolls, were not really "chivalry" savvy. They were very much like humans with a bit of xenophobia.

"Anyway, good luck with your new paperwork."

"Wait, wut?"

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 3 + Day 300:**

**Naruto  
[Troll Ruto][Chief Ruto][Troll King][Count Ruto][The Impaler]  
LvL 156  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker -****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 218.5(+995) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,760 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1990(1492.5(SGMII))  
DEX: 502  
AGI: 501  
END: 805  
INT: 304  
WIS: 311  
CHA: 300  
Unused Points: 37**

**Spirit: 90  
Magic: 65  
Power: 92**

**Control: 158  
**

**Fame(Prestige): + 35,103.1  
Infamy: +8,479**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**, **Proud**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 10)  
Small Flaming arrow (LvL 2)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Aegis Shield (LvL 7)  
Berserker (LvL 11)**x  
**Burst (LvL 6)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 6)  
Instant Dungeon Creation (LvL 2)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 10)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 10)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 93) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 68)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 37)  
Reinforcement (LvL 52)  
Shadow Clone (LvL 3)  
****Sonar (LvL 46)  
Time Decel (LvL 15)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 34)**x**  
Archery (LvL 39)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 26)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 35)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 41)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 69)**x**  
Charging (LvL 24)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 51) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11)) - Tailoring (Sub(LvL 3))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 40)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 41)**  
**Fire Magic (AVG LvL 6)- Fireball (LvL 20) - Fire Whip (LvL 2) - Fire Lance (LvL 1) - Fire Blast (LvL 1)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
General Economics (LvL 1)  
General Mathematics (LvL 1)  
Grasscutting (LvL 1)  
Intimidation (LvL 51)****  
Language (LvL 8): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
****Lesser Kingship (LvL 3)****  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 40)  
Mapping (LvL 23)  
Mining (LvL 2)  
Negotiation (LvL 18) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 14)  
Physical Durability (LvL 56)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 24)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 24)  
Teaching (LvL 24)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 47)  
Trapping (LvL 52)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 79)  
Water Magic (AVG LvL 1) - Waterball (LvL 1)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System  
Gamers' Market  
Help Search Bar**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , **Fairies**, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **,**Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , **Lizardmen**, Earth Fairy, Orc, Elf, **Drakken**

**(Darkened races make up more than 5% of the total population. **Non-highlighted races make up less than 5% of the total population**)**

**Ironwood Highlander Warrior Count: **891  
**Ironwood Blue Cataclysm Mage Count**: 72  
**Ironwood Black Skull Reaper Count:** 107  
**Ironwood Green Healer Count:** 31

**Total City Population:** 13,169

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,229

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 7,955**  
regionalPower**: 7.5

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan -**Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou -**Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa -**Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golthaum** \- Dhan'Thal dwarf leader and on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.  
**Kragnok** \- Scorchscale Clan representative.

**Vassals **

**Pyrcol** \- Lower Carpathi City-States (regionalPower: 2.3)  
**Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Vyyagrin al'Shavi** \- Free Union (regionalPower: 5)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi  
**Grand Duchess Minverva Managot** of the Sarang

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 7.5)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +950 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 15)  
**Grand Duchy of Sarang +700 (Ally)** (nationalPower: 5)**  
Kingdom of Galburi -500 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 9.7)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -100 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 6.4)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Important Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set (Broken)****  
Contract Emblem for County of Upper Carpathi  
Contract Emblem for Duchy of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Western Mari  
Contract Emblem for County of Eastern Mari  
****Contract Emblem for County of Northern Dynland **(forgot about this)**  
Vassal-Liege Contract with Free Union (Elric Brothers and al'Shavi)  
Dhan'Thal Pollodium Mail Armor Set**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!  
****Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)****  
**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*The Uzumaki Naruto's, immoral and immortal, in the ranking were different people. Closely related in terms of where their timeline split off, but different in the end. Good job for those of you who actually saw that 1 digit difference on them.

*Fixed some errors about skills not being in the list.

*The Gamers listed there are not real stories, so sorry about what little hype they did generate.

*Same ID but different name = different people. ID just shows what number that particular Gamer came from that character in question. So Gil and Art are not same Gamers nor even closely related. They are just the Gamers who are the #th version of the first.


	83. Chapter 83

***Added new map (Provinces of Ironwood Clan)**

***Spin off story "The Wandering Spirit" by Derin Leviathan has updated! Go read it and tell him what you think about it.**

* * *

_**Arc:  
Rounding Out**_

* * *

_**Previously...**_

_**Ruto, born to a colony of imps, established a clan of his own from the scattered remains of forest denizens fleeing orcish raids. In time, his clan expanded from their tiny fort to become the regional powerhouse. Yet conflict is always on the horizon.**_

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 320:**

I started my plan to increase the happiness of Pop #6, most of whom were in the Fourth Ring as I discovered.

The first action I took was to personally go down to the Fourth Ring with the excuse of "inspecting the neighborhood." I saw some of my warriors try to clear the path, but I stopped them and allowed the residents to come talk to me as I walked around the entire Fourth Ring.

I asked their life, how they were doing, and if they needed any help.

As I expected, the question about jobs eventually rose up.

I simply smiled and told them that they could take any job they wanted, or if they wanted to try something new, they could attend the job school that Sholva set up.

I directed those who didn't know what to do towards helping out the Trombo Farms and the hemp farms in the valleys below.

By the end of the day, the Pop #6 was at 30% Happiness.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 326:**

The news about my direct intervention on behalf of the distressed in the Fourth Ring reached the entire population of the Ironwood City.

Surprisingly, most populations got +10% Happiness "Noble King" buff for 6 months. The smallest Pop, #5, had the opposite reaction, though. They got -5% Happiness "Commoner King" buff of 12 months.

Also, when I went out drinking with the Highlanders in a drinking competition, Sholva came up to me and asked something. I said yes, and he went off.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 327:**

I don't know what happened yesterday night, but I had more actions to make to make sure the quest is completed.

Urgh, what did I drink? Why the hell isn't the Gamer ridding me of this headache?!

Ping!

**[Certain sequence of events disables the Gamer's ability to heal]**

Well, that sucks.

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 330:**

I called for the leaders of the Fourth Ring, and hid myself to see what they would talk about before I would appear. The building was a location provided by the Scorchscale Clan when they heard that I wanted to bring in the leaders of the Fourth Ring for some meeting. They gladly made the building, which was located in the Third Ring's east side, without reservation.

* * *

When Wensley entered the room, he was met with stares of those within it.

"This is where the chief called us, right?" he asked the people there.

They nodded grimly, and he took a seat next to his new best friend Zanjibob.

Wensley was a refugee and a ex-slave like many of those who lived in the Fourth Ring of the Ironwood City. He was also one of those who had been dubious about the generosity of the Ironwood Clan's ruler.

What ruler who welcome such large number of refugees when it would do him more harm than good?

As much as an ex-slave he had been, Wensley had also been one of the "slave scholars" of the Galburian high society, who tutored young nobles. He was a learned man, and he saw suicide written all over what the Ironwood Clan ruler was doing.

And yet ...

It had been two years since he entered this city, and since then, the city had only grown in size.

He couldn't help but respect someone who could _grow _under the strain of heavy influx of refugees.

It was one of the reasons why he had helped the troll chief with the newer refugees.

"Does anyone know why he called us here?"

There were murmurs of negatives.

He frowned.

But as much as he respected the man, Wensley couldn't help but hate him once in a while. high Chief Ruto kept a small group of close confidants, none of whom were human, and because of that, he couldn't help but worry.

"So how're your kids doing?" someone asked.

Wensley looked to the questioner and grinned.

Former slave sergeant Momon Aerolip was a childhood friend of his. They grew up together in the same "slave stables" and were sold to the same master. Despite Momon, because of his size, was granted the best "brood mare" and given a position of power among the slaves, he never abused it, even when Wensley himself became the hated "slave scholar" who taught the next generation of nobles.

He was also the tauren who helped him and a large group of slaves escape along with his own family.

"Going to school like they should be, instead of working in the fields," Wensley replied with a grin.

School.

A concept and institution that had once been only available to nobles and freemen that was available to everyone in Ironwood City. He and the other ex-slaves were able to send their children to school. To school! It was also one of the things he was ever grateful to the Ironwood Clan, even if he was still somewhat suspicious of a clan whose founders have no humans among them.

"But what about you, Wensley? How's your job hunt?"

His mood took a downturn. "I managed to get a job as a teacher in the Ironwood Elementary School, because that's what I'm good at. Compared to the Mentor, I feel like a stupid moron," he grumbled. "And the kid's only like four years old."

There were murmurs of agreement.

Shirou Emiya, or otherwise known as the Mentor of Ironwood Clan, was the right hand man of High Chief Ruto. Despite his status as a monster-born oni, Shirou was one of the best educated within the clan. How? Nobody knew. Perhaps Shirou had a tome filled with esoteric knowledge hidden somewhere, from which he siphons knowledge. At least, that's what the leading theory about Mentor Shirou said.

Personally, Wensley felt stupid whenever he was near the Mentor.

Wensley had grown up with books whenever his former masters had allowed him. He learned about science, magic, art, history, and more. He was given the Blue Degree of History and Blue Degree of Science from the nearest university that accepted slaves as students. He was a learned man who had good masters to back him up. In return, he had taught their children to be the best nobles and ladies. Seven of the most successful merchants and counts of Kingdom of Galburia learned from him.

But the Mentor? His depth of knowledge in everything but the arts, psychology, and history was astounding. He taught the children everything from base mathematics to ludicrously high end "derivatives" and from basic knowledge about finances to global trade trends.

Wensley himself didn't know half of the things that the Mentor taught about.

He was humbled ... and jealous.

"What about you, Sanders? I know you and your ilk are busy running the new shop of yours."

The Arakkoan chuckled.

Unlike others of his kind who had first moved into the Ironwood City, Sanders Bykyua had distanced himself from his tribe and set up a general goods store in the furthest edge of the Fourth Ring. He offered low prices and sales so often that, if it wasn't for him, some of the families would be without much of their necessities.

"Chief is making sure my goods are well stocked and cheap, Wensley. No need to worry about me."

That was also another thing about this clan.

The High Chief, someone who normally cares about politics and warfare only, personally reached out to help those in need. He couldn't do it all the time, nor did he try to. Oh no, High Chief Ruto was not stupid, if one thing could be clearly said about him. From what Wensley did know, though, was that if he couldn't personally give his attention, then he would assign someone to do it for him.

"Indeed," a deep voice agreed as a hulking figure appeared from the corner of the meeting room. "And as much as I enjoyed your discussion about ourselves, we have other things to discuss."

Wensley almost felt his heart stop. The high chief had been in the room all along?!

* * *

I chuckled at some of the faces of those in the room.

"Relax guys. I'm here to ask you guys something."

"What would that be, milord?"

Ugh, titles again.

"You see, the Founding Day Celebration is coming up soon, yes?"

They nodded, especially the older residents.

"I intend to give you, the leaders of the Fourth Ring, the opportunity of organizing the Founding Day Celebration."

Everyone froze, and some of them had dropped their jaws.

As I understood it from Sholva, organizers of the Founding Day Celebration were celebrated depending on how the celebration turned out to be. Taking that into my calculations, I decided that giving the Fourth Ring this opportunity would not only affirm my trust in them but also give them a chance to push up their standings among the rest of the population."

"W-We'll do it!" the one called Wensley exclaimed as he stood up.

I nodded with a smile. "Good. If you need help, Senna, Sholva, and Shirou are always there to offer you a hand."

* * *

**Year 3 + Day 334:**

Preparation for the Founding Day Celebration was in full swing. With the funds provided by the clan, somewhere around 1,000 gold coins, the leaders of the Fourth Ring expediently yet carefully set up the celebration.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 1:**

The Celebration of Founding went off without a hitch. Actually, it was better than the last one. There were circuses, fireworks, and competitions that everyone got to enjoy.

I publicly thanked the men and women of the Fourth Ring.

Ping!

**[+5% Happiness to Pop #6]**

5% more to go.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 11:**

I commissioned eight parks to be built in the Fourth Ring with my own money. This was because the funds for the city were a bit low after the Celebration. So I went dungeon grinding for a good day to gather a lot of things to sell on the [Gamers' Market] in exchange for gold coins.

The reason why I commissioned, though, was because the Fourth Ring lacked the leisure infrastructures like parks because of how hastily it had been constructed compared to the First, Second, and Third Rings. This was because the Fourth Ring was made in response to sudden surges in population count caused by refugees coming from Galburia.

I also announced this publicly in the Small Chief Council, which had seven leaders from the Fourth Ring.

By the end of the day, the Pop #6 was at 50% Happiness.

Ping!

**[Quest Complete (You can't be UNHAPPY in my city!)!**

**Reward:**  
***Target population has 200% productivity for 6 months]**

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 30:**

Sholva came up to me and told me that his surprise was done.

My response had been, "Did I ask for one?"

"Kind of. You were drunk."

Was that what happened several months back? I did get drunk then, so ...

I agreed to go with him when he requested. He had me and Senna blindfolded and led by children, who were told to keep quiet. I scoffed at their attempt at blinding me to the surprise, but I went along with it and did not use [Sonar] to ruin it.

We were led through the entrance of the citadel -with few bumps here and there caused by mischievous children- and finally, we were ... somewhere warm?

The said room was ... a bit too lavish for my taste.

Stained glasses and expensive Rose Gold alloy decorated the entirety of the oval dome that made up the roof of the entire throne room. Apparently, the dome was supposed to depict the founding of the Ironwood Clan with the Rose Gold embedded between the stained glasses and the steel "beam" that held everything up. Crystal clear glass windows were evenly spaced so that they didn't reveal too much to the outsiders while keeping the room brightly lit in sunlight, which the glass dome above did anyway.

The entire floor was made out of white marble with more than 8 marble pillars around the edge of the throne room.

What really made the room lavish, though, was the "throne."

They had the entire thing made out of silver. A literal furniture of silver.

But they built this for me.

"How is it?" Sholva asked. "Your new throne room?"

I looked to him and made a _very slightly _watery smile. I hugged him. "Thank you."

"Oi, oi, oi! Don't go crying on me! It's not like you weren't due for one, Your Majesty! Everyone agreed on this! You're too bloody busy-"

I blinked and let go of him.

"Wait, what?"

"Did I say something, Your Majesty?"

I paled. "No."

Sholva blinked before he realized exactly what I was talking about.

"No, what, Your Majesty?" Senna chuckled.

... I can't tell if this is a dream or a nightmare. More titles, seriously?

Ping!

**[You have earned the Achievement: Starting from Scratch to King!**  
**Fame: +1,000]**

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 81:**

I walked in hastily into the throne room, which was different from the previous one -as that had been turned into the Small Chief Council chamber now.

The new throne room was something that was as an additional wing to the citadel, which now made the citadel a three-wing fort within the inner walls. Sholva had hired a lot of builders and laborers using the clan's money to build the Throne Room. It was a room whose details that I came to appreciate and respect over the last month or so.

But these details, which once made me gawk only a few weeks, were no longer in my mind nor my eyes. Something had happened in the south, and aside from the Gamer screen telling me that I had been attacked by the Duchy of Kan, I didn't know what. Had I not been checking the clan through the City Modifier, which also gave me an overview of the entire clan, not just the city, I would not have known either.

If Galburia and Kan attacked now, my clan and my people would be in a vulnerable position; I had yet to finish relocating some of the people on the borders and definitely, I've yet to muster enough force to fight them on even terms.

My courtiers, as Sholva referred to men and women who worked in the administration of my clan with him and the other small chiefs, bowed as I passed by them and sat upon the throne.

"Speak," I told the messenger.

The messenger was not really a messenger but the eldest son of Count Quentius of Ilumania. Count Quentius had been one of the few Revyolan nobles that I did not remove for several reasons. While the man had kept slaves -and indeed made many of them into his concubines- he treated all of them with the love a woman deserves and never treated anyone wrongly. Unlike most nobles who protested about their "feudal rights" and "religious rights" -what religious rights did they have when the religion calls for slaves?!-, Count Quentius submitted to my ruling to free all slaves as soon as he heard my decree, and helped me significantly in integrating the three main Revyolan provinces that came under my control.

To reward his service and to encourage others from Revyola to do the same, I rewarded him with the entirety of _de jure_ Ilumania, which included lands that his father had lost to rivals a few decades back. He was extremely grateful to me and has been loyal to me since then. De jure lands being the lands that rightfully belongs to the province when it was first set up.

The fact that he had sent his son here probably meant that whatever had happened down there was serious.

From what I remember, his name should be Ilucius.

Ilucius quickly went down on one knee in front of me after rushing out of the crowd and bowed his head. "Kan raiders have swept across the border towns of Ilumanian Province. W-We just didn't have the numbers to stop them," the messenger said while he kept his bowing and kneeling position before me.

"What?!" I growled.

Raiders again?! Don't people learn?!

Everyone in the room flinched when I shouted, but Ilucius kept himself firm and continued his report. "There were nine villages and two cities bordering Duchy of Kan from Your Majesty's province of Ilumania before the raid... Now, there are only the cities remaining."

There was a dead silence before the entire throne room broke out in outrage.

I snapped my hand out in a call for silence. They obeyed.

"How many died and were taken?"

Ilucius froze.

The Gamer didn't tell me the details, so I needed to know directly.

"...Nearly a t-thousand dead ... Your Majesty."

"And how many taken?"

"Three hundred, sir."

I took a deep breath in and let it out after a few seconds.

Rage and righteous fury boiled inside me, but the Gamer kept it cool.

I knew that if I panicked right now in front of so many people, there would be consequences.

"This is a clear attack on my people."

There were exclamations of agreement in the throne room, including those of approval of what was to come from Iskan and few of the warriors as well as Shirou.

"This is a declaration of war. I will not rest until the entire Duchy of Kan is under our control and their temples to the Slave God Angk torn down! Send out the call for arms to all! We go to war!"

Everyone pumped their fist into the air and roared, "WE GO TO WAR!"

* * *

**Andalusia Trivia Time!**

**When the provinces of Mari were first found more than ten thousand years ago, the land prospector, whose name is Mari, named the western province "Eastern Mari" and eastern province "Western Mari." Her reason? **

**"Cuz I'm a troll like that."**

**No, she was a human. An eccentric human, but human nonetheless.**

* * *

**Interesting News around the World  
Ruto's Year 4 + Day 90:**

*Ironwood Clan mobilized against Duchy of Kan, who raided the clan's southern borders. Why they would do this before their ally was ready, no one knows. Perhaps this was the cause of internal struggle or actions of bandits. Regardless, Duchy of Kan has yet to respond back to Ironwood Clan's declaration of war.

*Grand Duchy of Sarang and Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi are surprisingly staying out of the struggle.

*Galburia hasn't done anything about Ironwood Clan attacking their ally.

*A titan warrior(60 meters tall) of the Ba'Plaigia Kingdom has been sighted. All of the kingdom's enemies are wary, because only drakken older than four centuries or elemental gods of similar size.

*A minor diplomatic dispute has broken out between Laguz Alliance and their southern neighbor, Zil'Ma'Shu'Nodia Kingdom over a very small islet of Queensbery, an island known for its production of Queensbery Crabs, which may be sold in the fresh seaport market at about 100 gold per pound.

*A civil war has broken out in the Iska Isles Meritocracy. Due to the nation's isolationist tendencies, little information is available about the civil war.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 4 + Day 90:**

**Naruto  
[High Chief Ruto][The Impaler][King Ruto of Ironwood Clan]  
LvL 163  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker -****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 218.5(+999.5) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,760 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1999(1499.25(SGMII))  
DEX: 502  
AGI: 516  
END: 808  
INT: 317  
WIS: 325  
CHA: 312  
Unused Points: 121**

**Spirit: 91  
Magic: 65  
Power: 93**

**Control: 158  
**

**Fame(Prestige): + 36,103.1  
Infamy: +8,479**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**, **Proud**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 10)  
Small Flaming arrow (LvL 10)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Aegis Shield (LvL 9)  
Berserker (LvL 11)**x  
**Burst (LvL 7)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 6)  
Instant Dungeon Creation (LvL 9)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 11)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 11)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 94) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 69)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 39)  
Reinforcement (LvL 54)  
Shadow Clone (LvL 4)  
****Sonar (LvL 47)  
Time Decel (LvL 16)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 36)**x**  
Archery (LvL 48)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 27)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 36)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 43)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 71)**x**  
Charging (LvL 25)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 52) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11)) - Tailoring (Sub(LvL 4))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 41)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 42)**  
**Fire Magic (AVG LvL 8)- Fireball (LvL 21) - Fire Whip (LvL 6) - Fire Lance (LvL 2) - Fire Blast (LvL 3)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
General Economics (LvL 4)  
General Mathematics (LvL 3)  
Grasscutting (LvL 2)  
Intimidation (LvL 52)****  
Language (LvL 9): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
****Lesser Kingship (LvL 4)****  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 40)  
Mapping (LvL 23)  
Mining (LvL 6)  
Negotiation (LvL 22) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 15)  
Physical Durability (LvL 57)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 26)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 26)  
Teaching (LvL 25)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 50)  
Trapping (LvL 53)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 82)  
Water Magic (AVG LvL 2) - Waterball (LvL 2)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System  
Gamers' Market  
Help Search Bar**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , **Fairies**, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **,**Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , **Lizardmen**, Earth Fairy, Orc, **Elf**, **Drakken**

**(Darkened races make up more than 5% of the total population. **Non-highlighted races make up less than 5% of the total population**)**

**Ironwood Highlander Warrior Count: **903  
**Ironwood Blue Cataclysm Mage Count**: 82  
**Ironwood Black Skull Reaper Count:** 114  
**Ironwood Green Healer Count:** 32

**Total City Population:** 13,537

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,261

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 7,977**  
regionalPower**: 7.5

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan -**Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou -**Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa -**Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golthaum** \- Dhan'Thal dwarf leader and on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.  
**Kragnok** \- Scorchscale Clan representative.

**Vassals**

**Pyrcol** \- Lower Carpathi City-States (regionalPower: 2.3)  
**Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Vyyagrin al'Shavi** \- Free Union (regionalPower: 5)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi  
**Grand Duchess Minverva Managot** of the Sarang

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 7.5)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +950 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 15)  
**Grand Duchy of Sarang +700 (Ally)** (nationalPower: 5)**  
Kingdom of Galburi -500 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 9.7)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -100 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 6.4)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Important Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set (Broken)****  
Contract Emblem for County of Upper Carpathi  
Contract Emblem for Duchy of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Western Mari  
Contract Emblem for County of Eastern Mari  
****Contract Emblem for County of Northern Dynland ****  
Vassal-Liege Contract with Free Union (Elric Brothers and al'Shavi)  
Dhan'Thal Pollodium Mail Armor Set  
Passable Hemp-Fabric Workout Outfit**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!  
****Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)****  
**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Size of Ironwood Clan? I'd say it's somewhere between Romania and Bulgaria.

*I know, this chapter is a bit short.


	84. Chapter 84

***MAP CHANGES!  
From this chapter on, any map updates will result in a whole new map rather than a override of the existing. This means you can keep track of what happens on the map throughout time.**

***Also, map update.**

***Kage88 has graciously given me the deleted copies of my previous maps that he had kept. Hurray for kage88! But because some of these maps are redundant, I uploaded only two, the Day 1 Map and the Galburian Civil War.**

* * *

_**Arc:  
Rounding Out**_

* * *

_**Previously on Re:Gamer...**_

_**Duchy of Kan had been sighted, and some of its men caught, raiding the border towns in Ironwood Clan's territory. In response to such blatant aggression, Ruto has declared war upon the Duchy of Kan.**_

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 99:**

I had called for war against the Duchy of Kan.

"We're not ready yet," Iskan frowned. "Mos-"

"I know, Iskan," I said quietly while I had my face in my hands.

The reason why I had called for war was because I couldn't let the blatant raid and enslaving of my people go without an equal response.

"Any moves on Galburian front?"

While I had mobilized my troops in the past ten days, I had yet to commit to Kan territory. I had my levies stationed in Western Mari, which was the centermost province in my kingdom. As for my warriors, all of them were still inside Ironwood City. They were to train as much as they could before they were to be deployed. Surprisingly, Kragnok of the Scorchscale Clan had supplied with me fifty warriors of their own, who were also now training with my Highlanders as well.

The Black Skull Reapers, on the other hand, were deployed. I sent Derin out with a third of the Reapers to infiltrate Duchy of Kan. Their main mission was to disturb the Kanian supply lines, assassinate officers (perhaps even the duke and his heir if they could), and sabotage anything they could get their hands on. Of course, they were to remain hidden throughout all this action.

There were also Reapers in Galburian territory, acting as scouts, spies, and saboteurs.

As for the Blue Cataclysm Mages, they were to stay in Ironwood City and provide bulk of its defenses should anyone decide to circumvent us and attack my home directly. 82 mages with an average of low B-rank should be able to hold out a month against most armies with how my city was built. A month would be good time for myself to move to protect the city from anywhere I might be in the front as long as I didn't dive too deep or become too invested in an assault of my own.

But regardless of this, my forces were tied down because of Kingdom of Galburia. The levies, under command of Derin, Juras, and the Three Councilors of the Free Union, were to attack the Duchy of Kan as soon as the levies from the Free Union and the Three Councilors met the levies stationed in Western Mari.

"We are definitely finding some movements. There's now two thousand soldiers in the nearest castle between us and their border, but these soldiers are there because we're stationing soldiers on our side of the border."

"But no declaration of war."

"No."

Why? Their ally was being attacked, and Kingdom of Galburia was doing nothing?

"I think it's because of their god."

I turned to Riddle. "What do you mean?" I asked her.

She looked uncomfortable. "I ... once lived in Kingdom of Galburia, and met many priests and archpriests of the Anhk. They have a fanatical devotion to processions and keeping to the words of their god, even if it means they become slaves themselves or that they may die in one of their processions."

"What does that have anything to do with this?" Iskan asked her.

I understood.

"The king. He has already declared the start of a holy war with his rituals," I commented.

Riddle nodded. "Rituals that are supposed to take 5 years to complete. Also, Anhk is ... stuck up about rituals

I grinned. I didn't need to keep my soldiers here. Actually, for security purposes, quite a few would remain here, but I could still move against the Duchy of Kan without retaliation!

"So they won't?"

"They can't. Anhk would kill them if they did."

"Even if it's to protect an ally that worships the same god?"

"Yeah. Anhk doesn't care about that. Worshippers come and go, according to his holy book. It's their soul he wants."

"...Like he makes a heaven?"

"No. He splits the soul of the 'slaves' upon death, giving a small portion of its power to the slave's master."

Everyone in the room looked at her.

"Wait, what?" Sholva frowned. "I never heard about that before."

"It's something only the archpriests and high priests know about. Also, as far as Anhk is concerned, it is his priests and archpriests who are the masters of the slaves, not the 'legal' owners."

"So..."

"The priests? They are all B-rank, minimum. Archpriests? Most of them are A-rank."

"Holy shit," Iskan muttered.

"Damn right. Why didn't you tell us beforehand?" I asked Riddle.

"I found my old notes about them arrived mere week ago along with my tribe's old belongings. Sorry."

"You guys were still moving in stuff?"

Riddle grinned. "Whatever you may think about my tribe, we are much older than you think. We have a lot of things in many hidden stashes all around the region, Your Majesty."

I chuckled. "I guess I'll have to tax you on those then?"

She looked horrified.

I laughed. "Just joking, just joking. But I do expect you to start turning in critical information like that, alright?"

She nodded. "Got it."

"Now, onto other matters..."

* * *

Before the day was out, I went through four more dungeons -in addition to this morning's six- and counted the total loot I had acquired.

[Iron Ore] x477  
[Pollodium Ore] x97  
[Copper Ore] x11  
[Gold Ore] x4  
[Mithril Ore] x1  
[Pollodium Shard] x39  
[Mithril Shard] x3  
[Gold Nugget] x7  
[Essence of Lesser Earth] x41

I sold all of them in exchange for points.

I shou-

"Umm... Ruto?"

I paused and turned around.

I had returned home a bit late in the night, so I had expected Candy to be sleeping. She usually did on her own.

"Hey, Candy. Did I wake you up?" I smiled as I stood up and hugged her.

She hugged me back.

"No, I just ... uhh..." she said as she pulled away and scratched the back of her head. "Just had a news I wanted to tell you."

"Something from the small chiefs?"

"No. About me."

I stiffened. "Candy?"

"I think I'm pregnant."

I froze.

There was a pause before I looked her in the eyes. She was her usual self -unreserved, quick to respond- but there was something off.

'[Observe: Condition],' I mentally intoned.

[**Candy**  
**LvL 116**

**Condition:**  
**Pregnant(Ruto), tired, worried, nervous]**

So she's nervous and worried. Most likely about the pregnancy. I need to reassure her.

"Hey, Candy," I called her and she snapped out of a brief daze. "You're sure?"

She nodded briskly.

I grinned. "I'm gonna be a dad?"

She nodded, and her [Worried] and [Nervous] went away.

"Thank you, and I love you," I laughed as I hugged her.

She laughed too. "I love you too!" she giggled.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 103:**

Shirou and Senna gawked.

"Congratulations!" Senna squealed and hugged Candy.

Shirou grinned for us. "Congratulations, guys," he said.

"Thank you," I laughed. "I'm just happy I'm going to be a father."

And I was.

It came as a surprise yesterday night.

I was going to be a father.

It was a small dream that I had in my past life that I didn't really think about but had carried over to this life.

To have a family.

Candy was with my child now.

One of my dreams was fulfilling itself, and I couldn't be happier than I was right now.

"Sir."

I looked over my shoulder and saw a Black Skull Fairy Messenger. I gestured it to give me its message, and it gave me a parchment scroll. I opened it up and read its contents.

My good mood soured immediately.

"It seems that the Galburian King is craftier than we first guessed," I grumbled. "With me, Shirou."

Shirou nodded and stood up as I did.

We left the two now worried women and Ren and headed over to a smaller meeting room within the citadel.

As we walked, we talked.

"Details?" Shirou asked.

"The king can't attack us because he's in a ritual phase, but the restriction does not apply to anyone who is not directly part of the ritual. Because of this, he has put up a 'bounty' for each of our heads, and a bounty for each village any of the "people's crusade" burns," I grumbled.

"Sounds like he planned this."

"It wasn't."

Shirou raised an eyebrow. "Why do you think that? The bounties and whatnot makes it look like he wants his people to attack us on their own."

"I don't doubt that," I said as I waved the parchment scroll around a bit. "But it was how this information comes across to us. Remember, the bastard placed a bounty rather than an order for his dukes to attack us."

Shirou frowned. "Maybe all of his dukes are tied down elsewhere. And a direct order from their king will be a violation of their ritua-. I see your point.

"Also, the Duke of Eystilbern, who is the most vocal against us within Galburia, hadn't even gathered his soldiers properly. In fact, the last few reports about his territory gave me a distinct impression that he was in his early stages of invasion preparation. If the Galburian king really had coordinated with Kan, then Eystilbern would be attacking us from our west already."

"So you're saying ..."

"The Duchy of Kan was definitely not in good communications with Galburia, and were definitely not coordinated enough. If they had been, any Galburians capable of wielding an army would be on our borders already."

"That does makes sense... Does this mean that we'll be fighting on two fronts?" he asked.

"Probably, but the west will be disorganized at best. I expect multiple minor nobles coming there to try and take advantage of the situation, but the sudden increase in the number of army-leading nobles will cause whatever army that is there to be divided up."

"Why?"

"Because all of the nobles will want to claim glory, and being under the command of another noble of same standing is not going to help them."

"So you want me to go out there, and destroy any army that crosses the border."

I nodded. "Take about five hundred Highlanders and ten mages with you."

"Got it."

"Good luck."

* * *

**Interesting News Around the World**  
**Ruto's Year 4 + Day 150:**

*Impressive politicking on Neuva Revoluciano Franco led to the formation of Imperias Nova Francosis, an "empire" that possess 50,000 soldiers and 30 S-ranker fighters.

*Greater Redwood Kingdom managed to fully subjugate and integrate T'Vyrio Clan while the now Imperias Nova Francosis was busy with its peaceful politicking. This has resulted in two "superpowers" in the central Vagamin Region of the Andalusia 3-2.

*Akarui, Haru, and Nikkou, the Tri-States of Light, decided to merge their states into Abasul Spiritual Confederation in light of recent events to their north. Jerd-Dha Tribe, which used to be Akarui's eastern rival, asked to join the confederation and did join with a 2-1 vote.

*Titular Principality of the Red Drakken Flight continues its aggressive expansion against former Canterrius Empire states.

*North Kermania declared war on their southern brethren, which was a shock to a lot of their neighbors. Tension had existed yes, but they hadn't been anywhere close to war times. Necropolis, knowing that supporting South Kermania was their only chance at survival, joined the latter in the two Brother States' War.

*The State of the Red Fan (Akaogi-Min) has declared war on its southern neighbors after an incident where the former's diplomat was killed by the latter's Crown Prince over a "implied slight."

*After multiple raids on their territory, Kingdom of Caladria had enough of their old rival, Uxukhan Khanate, and declared war. This was technically not breaking the truce on their part because raids made by the clans of the Uxukhan was breaking the truce in the first place. Let it not be said that Lelouch vi Britannia is a Truce Breaker.

*Black Drakken Flight Hegemony fully integrates and welcomes one of its vassals into its fold.

*The Xa managed to defeat the once unstoppable scarab rush, pushing the scarabs hives away from their borders and securing a zone of the desert that is rich in iron. Land of Wolshang has seen similar success on the other side of the desert.

*The last of the remnants of the undead plague has been wiped out. The remaining participants of the operations divide up the territory. Hlynovukos, who is the de jure owner of some of those provinces, are not given a say because they left the coalition.

*Bamis Primacy, fearing a wipeout from the Ironwood Clan, declares its independence from the Duchy of Kan, which reduced the latter's levies by a quarter and divided up the attention of the duchy into two, which split the duchy's effective force size into two.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 4 + Day 90:**

**Naruto  
[High Chief Ruto][The Impaler][King Ruto of Ironwood Clan]  
LvL 163  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker -****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 218.5(+999.5) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,760 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1999(1499.25(SGMII))  
DEX: 502  
AGI: 516  
END: 808  
INT: 317  
WIS: 325  
CHA: 312  
Unused Points: 121**

**Spirit: 91  
Magic: 65  
Power: 93**

**Control: 158  
**

**Fame(Prestige): + 36,103.1  
Infamy: +8,479**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**, **Proud**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 10)  
Small Flaming arrow (LvL 10)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: **(Pure Combat Skills marked by X)**  
****Aegis Shield (LvL 9)  
Berserker (LvL 11)**x  
**Burst (LvL 7)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 6)  
Instant Dungeon Creation (LvL 9)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 11)**x  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 11)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 94) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 69)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 39)  
Reinforcement (LvL 54)  
Shadow Clone (LvL 4)  
****Sonar (LvL 47)  
Time Decel (LvL 16)  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 36)**x**  
Archery (LvL 48)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 27)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 36)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 43)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 71)**x**  
Charging (LvL 25)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 52) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11)) - Tailoring (Sub(LvL 4))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 41)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 42)**  
**Fire Magic (AVG LvL 8)- Fireball (LvL 21) - Fire Whip (LvL 6) - Fire Lance (LvL 2) - Fire Blast (LvL 3)  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
General Economics (LvL 4)  
General Mathematics (LvL 3)  
Grasscutting (LvL 2)  
Intimidation (LvL 52)****  
Language (LvL 9): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
****Lesser Kingship (LvL 4)****  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 40)  
Mapping (LvL 23)  
Mining (LvL 6)  
Negotiation (LvL 22) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 15)  
Physical Durability (LvL 57)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 26)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Lovemaking (LvL 26)  
Teaching (LvL 25)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 50)  
Trapping (LvL 53)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 82)  
Water Magic (AVG LvL 2) - Waterball (LvL 2)**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System  
Gamers' Market  
Help Search Bar**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , **Fairies**, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **,**Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , **Lizardmen**, Earth Fairy, Orc, **Elf**, **Drakken**

**(Darkened races make up more than 5% of the total population. **Non-highlighted races make up less than 5% of the total population**)**

**Ironwood Highlander Warrior Count: **909  
**Ironwood Blue Cataclysm Mage Count**: 83  
**Ironwood Black Skull Reaper Count:** 116  
**Ironwood Green Healer Count:** 32

**Total City Population:** 13,537

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,261

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 7,977**  
regionalPower**: 7.5

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan -**Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou -**Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa -**Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golthaum** \- Dhan'Thal dwarf leader and on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.  
**Kragnok** \- Scorchscale Clan representative.

**Vassals**

**Pyrcol** \- Lower Carpathi City-States (regionalPower: 2.3)  
**Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Vyyagrin al'Shavi** \- Free Union (regionalPower: 5)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi  
**Grand Duchess Minverva Managot** of the Sarang

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 7.5)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +950 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 15)  
**Grand Duchy of Sarang +700 (Ally)** (nationalPower: 5)**  
Kingdom of Galburi -500 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 9.7)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -100 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 6.4)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Important Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set (Broken)****  
Contract Emblem for County of Upper Carpathi  
Contract Emblem for Duchy of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Western Mari  
Contract Emblem for County of Eastern Mari  
****Contract Emblem for County of Northern Dynland ****  
Vassal-Liege Contract with Free Union (Elric Brothers and al'Shavi)  
Dhan'Thal Pollodium Mail Armor Set  
Passable Hemp-Fabric Workout Outfit**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!  
****Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)****  
**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Again, this chapter is on the short side, I know.


	85. Chapter 85

***Well, Congress finally went and made draft mandatory for voting women too in US. 85-13 Senate voted yes. This now only leaves the House of Reps to vote. **

***Anyways, it's been five days since last update for me, yeah? Well, this one is slightly different. **

* * *

_**Arc:  
Rounding Out  
Part II - The Western Front / Shirou**_

* * *

_**Previously on Re:Gamer...**_

_**Duchy of Kan had been sighted, and some of its men caught, raiding the border towns in Ironwood Clan's territory. In response to such blatant aggression, Ruto has declared war upon the Duchy of Kan.**_

_**Shirou arrived in the west...**_

* * *

It's been less than half a week since Shirou reached the western border of his Ironwood Clan, and things were looking grim.

Contrary to what Ruto had predicted, there had been a few Galburian nobles who had been prepared for an immediate assault.

Shirou had with him a thousand and three hundred men. On the other hand, his enemies, Count Wilheimson and Earl Zushaka lead a total force of four thousand men, give or take three hundred men.

That was four times the force that Shirou, even if he had better trained, armed, and armored men and women.

Unfortunately, he had arrived too late to grab the best defensive position. Less than two days after the declaration of a bounty on all of Ironwood Clan by the king of Galburia, Wilheison and Zushaka had struck to separate points in the border. This separate attack had caused the Ironwood Clan commanders to fall back due to their severely lacking numbers.

Then Shirou learned that the Duke of Eystilbern, the most vocal hater of the Ironwood Clan (which had a lot to do with the fact that Ironwood Clan had killed his young nephew in freeing the Free Union), was quickly gathering his men. The scouts projected a minimum of five months and a maximum of eight months before the Duke brought with him four thousand troops.

Shirou had to devastate Wilheimson and Zushaka's army with minimal losses if he were to fight the Duke of Eystilbern.

But again, he had lost the best defensive advantage even before he had arrived.

In fleeing, the two border commanders had abandoned the outposts that had been built on high hilltops with all of the supplies there within.

Also, while fleeing, the commanders had lost quite the amount of troops. Some had deserted seeing the border fall apart so quickly, white others had been caught by invading scouts and vanguards.

By some, Shirou meant half of their two commanders' forces, which was about a total of six hundred soldiers.

On top of that, border villages were already sacked, massacred, raped, and burnt. Of the fifty nine or so reported villages on their side of the border, forty had been confirmed dead.

Cities were holding out better with their walls and sizable garrisons.

He had been tempted to just roam the entire border by himself, firing his Caladbolg II at any sizable enemy force he spotted.

Again, unfortunately, the enemy had their A-rank mages for magical protection, which negated the usefulness of his Caladbolg II.

It was only small fortunes that there were only four of them and all of them traveled together.

This meant several things. For one, the two Galburian nobles weren't dumb and were relying on information to counter some of the advantages the Ironwood Clan held. Second, while they had done a good job researching and countering, they were poorly defended. Four mages meant that the army the two nobles wielded had to stay together at all times lest Shirou's arrows blow them up.

Yesterday, he had ordered his men to assist in the evacuation of the rest of the border villages and some beyond the border.

With the majority of his men did that, Shirou only had a hundred B-ranker archers of the Highlanders with him.

...

But then again, that was how Ironwood fought; always outnumbered by enemies, but the clan had in possession of elite troops with better arms, armor, training, and discipline.

So Shirou reverted to the best strategy that small armies were best at: guerrilla warfare. He didn't intend for his strikes to be a hit-and-run, however. If he struck, he struck to kill. If he struck, the scene that the enemies will stumble upon will be that of a nightmare.

... Perhaps Senna had been a stronger influence on him that he had originally believed.

* * *

Thus, he and his men and women sat on either side of a road where one of the scouts had expected a military convoy to be passing through.

A fairy with a white feather perched on its left ear came zipping towards him.

"They're here," he whispered.

Shirou nodded, and told the fairy to return to their base camp.

As the fairy flew away, Shirou looked about.

The road they were ambushing was a bend in a forest. Unlike the Carpathi mountains where tall trees and the thick canopies gave perfect hiding spots to drop down upon the enemy, the Western Unorganized Territory's forests had little in the ways of tall, strong trees. There were, however, a lot of bushes and shrubberies.

It was with these that Shirou was using to his advantage. He kept the "non-green" colored races close to the bushes and shrubs to provide a better cover for them while those that had similar colors to that of the forest stuck a bit further out. Complete with dark shades and their black and white armor, it was a perfect ambush setup.

Shirou's ears picked up the distant gallop of horses.

He signaled everyone to lay low.

Less than half a minute later, a trio of horsemen came around the bend.

Their armor was painted orange and white with a hawk banner colored in the aforementioned colors. The colors and insignia of Count Wilheimson.

The cavalry scouts, which is what the horsemen appeared to be with their armorless horses and selves that helped with speed, ran ahead and came back minutes later. They galloped back towards the unseen convoy.

Half an hour later, Shirou saw them as they came around the bend.

According to the fairy scouts, there should be at least fifty wagons.

Shirou silently counted them as they made their way towards the ambush he'd set up.

'48,' he counted mentally. 'Did they break down? We'll have to check it out before we leave.'

Soon, the convoy was lethargically moving between them, completely unaware of the fact that they were in mortal danger.

"NOW!" he shouted as he shot up with his bow drawn. 'RapidFire!'

As one, a hundred archers shot up with him and unleashed their own Rapid Fire.

In the single span of a second, a thousand arrows were launched without mercy. With both sides of the mountain being taller, there was no friendly fire, but five hundred arrows on each side of the convoy made short work of all those guarding the convoy.

Men fell as arrows struck them twice or more in the chest and back. Horses and oxen pulling the wagons shrieked in panic, but the ropes and leashes kept them in place.

Shirou quickly scanned the entirety of the halted convoy. A handful of rear guard had survived and ran away. "Chase after them! We can't let them know we're ambushing them here!" he shouted even as he unleashed an arrow.

The arrow flew and pierced through the neck of an unfortunate soldier. The soldier fell with a sickening crunch.

A handful of his own men gave chase.

Shirou turned his attention back to the dead convoy. Roughly counting the dead, he came up with three hundred dead, which was good.

300 soldiers killed for no casualty on their side meant that much less enemies he would have to kill on the inevitable battles to come.

The convoy, though, was the main reason why he had set this ambush up.

While Wilheimson and Zushaka had raided and looted the border, what they had taken from the people could not feed their army for more than a month after their initial supplies ran out.

This supply convoy was that: a food convoy.

By cutting the two nobles and their armies from food, Shirou wanted them to starve, dropping morale and fighting capabilities.

It was the tactic Ruto had devised and acted upon during the Shkifield Invasion, the very same tactic that had led to the Battle of Pset where Shkifield fell.

With a smaller force against an army that could not detach a sizable force to take care of him and his men, Shirou was confident that his tactic would work out. It was also for this reason he had used the majority of the garrisons and the small army he had here to evacuate everyone and _everything edible _out of the region.

Scorch Earth Tactic without actually scorching the earth.

"Let's get these wagons to base camp," he commanded his men, and they barked out an affirmative.

As Shirou watched his men drag away their loot, he couldn't help but feel that despite hating war and conflict, he was proficient at it.

* * *

News reached Shirou that Ruto had successfully smashed the first contingent of Kanian army he had met at the battlefield.

"It seems that our king is always at the front of things, right?" he mused out loud.

His company captains, a total of four of them, chuckled along with him.

"Alright, let's get this meeting started," he said as he called on the first of the captains for the daily report.

It had been a month since his first ambush upon the Wilheimson convoy, and he had been repeating that strategy without mercy nor pause. He and his men had struck seven convoys and nineteen foraging parties for a total confirmed kill count of nine hundred and thirty five dead, while less than two dozen of his men had died.

"Cztes," he called.

Cztes was one of the rare angelians who had joined the Ironwood Clan. With his speed, agility, and the ability to shoot while moving and in the air, he had earned the title of "Sky Arrows."

The man stood up. "My company has spotted a foraging party, and quickly took care of the invaders with little issue. We suffered no casualties."

Shirou nodded, and turned to the next captain. "Polly?"

Unlike Cztes, Polly was a troll, a common race within the Core Ironwood Provinces. He was actually one of the Aru tribe trolls, and had specialized in kodo archery. "Nothing from our end."

"A'kuhama?"

A troll from the vassal tribes living in the Core Ironwood Provinces, A'kuhama had been chosen by Shirou himself to be a company commander for his strategic mindset. Flexible with his men and a disciplinarian, he had been given the most aggressive and powerful of the Highlanders Shirou brought with him.

It was because of this that A'kuhama was leading a diversionary tactic.

"We managed to lure away three dozen soldiers from their main camp, and killed them all. One of them was a class-holder mercenary."

There were murmurs among the other captains.

Class holders. Like all of the order warriors, mages, and reapers, class holders were those who were rankers with class of their own.

While minority in size, this mercenary was but the latest in the long list of class holders working for Galburians they had killed in this conflict.

"Did you find what he was?"

A'kuhama shook his head. "We nailed him first."

Shirou nodded and turned to the final commander. "Zhou."

Zhou was a human immigrant from the Volreek Empire. Apparently, the man had been searching for a "suitable nation" who would make him a commander. Ruto had taken him into Highlanders for his axe prowess and loyalty he expressed in the two years he had been in the Ironwood City.

Of course, no one informed Zhou that Ruto could literally "Observe" him for his loyalty, a feature that had become available to the king when his [Observe] hit LvL 50.

Unlike the other commanders, Zhou was a man born for military career. He loved to instill discipline in newbies. He followed orders as best as he could, while asking the right questions regarding the orders he received.

But above all, he loved fighting. The most ruthless of the Highlander commanders, Zhou was responsible for hunting down specifically foraging parties and sending back desecrated bodies of the dead to the Galburians. All of the bodies had a bloody skull carved into their chest with his name carved in Galburian alphabet.

Shirou had initially reprimanded the man for his brutality, but hadn't gone further than that.

First of all, Zhou was an honorable man. While brutal, the man had a sense of honor that made him fit within the Highlanders. He abhorred torture, and thus used other means for those bodies. All of the bodies he desecrated were just that: dead bodies. They weren't torture victims nor innocents. They were the bodies of soldiers who had died at the ambushes.

"We took out seven more foraging parties, and killed three of their knights."

Shirou nodded in acknowledgement.

Knights were fearsome foes. In an open battlefield, the heavily armored knights were overwhelming enemies. While his archers could focus together, the knights and their heavy armor prevented deaths. The best way to kill a knight was to slow him and his horse down, bringing the rider down, and killing him.

To have killed three knights was a good news.

"Did anyone get injured?"

"...4 Highlanders died," Zhou said with a frown. "Completely unnecessarily as well."

Shirou gestured for him to explain.

Zhou sighed. "When we took down the last foraging party, we didn't know that they had knights with them. They came to us after hearing the screams of the foragers and charged us. Zikili, Uyama, Hyunjong, and Rirrikhis jumped on the knights immediately without a regard for their own life. The knights killed them with their shortswords, but it gave us time to catch them easily and kill them."

"I see. I wouldn't say completely unnecessary but ... I see your point," Shirou replied. After a moment of pause, he spoke up again. "Le's move onto how we'll hit them in the night then. I'd like for all of you to present plans that I requested of you to make."

Each of the commanders pulled out several parchments in compliance.

"Zhou, start us off."

"Yes, sir," the man replied. "My plan calls for a diversionary tactic and a hit and run. We use our fastest troops to lure away a sizable portion of the enemy troops and when they get far enough, we lau-"

"That's what we've been doing, Zhou," A'kuhama interrupted with a sneer. "They're too scared to come out and fight us exactly because we've been picking them off little by little."

Zhou glared at the troll. "Well, why don't you tell us what you've been planning then?" he sneered right back at his rival.

Shirou sighed quietly.

If there was one significant problem within the ranks of the Highlanders ... it was intense competition. Rivals were common between those of similar ranks, and Iskan expected them to grow with their rivals.

These three before him were currently going after the third highest rank within the Highlander Order: the Kumbyat. If Shirou had to compare it to his previous life's known military structures, then kumbyat would be the same rank as a major in a standard army. 'Speaking of ranks,' he thought to himself. 'I'll have to talk to Ruto about our non-order military rank organization.'

"-say we do the diversion that Zhou loves so much with A'kuhama's bomb drop off tactic. What'dya say, general?"

"General" Shirou -as much as he hated the title- blinked twice. "Sorry, I was thinking about something else. Please, repeat it for me."

Cztes cleared his throat and did so.

Basically, Zhou would lead the diversionary troops into actual battle. They would lead away a sizable portion of the enemy so that their defenses will be weaker. A'kuhama would use this chance to drop off explosive bombs, courtesy of Shirou and one other magic capable Highlander with them, and drop it off from a far distance. It was a good tactic to try, but it would require some good luck to be completely one-sided.

"Let's try it," Shirou acquiesced. "But I want Zhou's troops to be supplemented with your troops, Cztes."

"Aye, general."

"And I told you guys to stop calling me that."


	86. Chapter 86

_**Arc:  
Rounding Out**_

_**Part III - Eastern Front / Ruto**_

* * *

_**Previously on Re:Gamer...**_

_**Duchy of Kan had been sighted, and some of its men caught, raiding the border towns in Ironwood Clan's territory. In response to such blatant aggression, Ruto has declared war upon the Duchy of Kan.**_

_**Ruto has arrived in the east...**_

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 184:**

"Well, this is troublesome," I muttered to myself.

I now understood the reason why the Duke of Kan was so willing to send out raiders to make his intentions for war clear.

Unlike the enemies I had faced so far, which included Galburia, the Duchy of Kan had two armies, one mundane and one magical.

The magical army in question was composed of small number of highly trained mages, all of whom were capable of casting siege-level barriers. Mages couldn't cast one by themselves, but when there was 300 of them in rotation? It was possible and more importantly, viable.

Coupled with the fact that the Duke of Kan had revamped his cities' walls with cheap but powerful protection runes meant to disperse incoming damage to the air, this war was not going to be an easy sweeping fest as my other wars so far had been.

The Duke of Kan also possessed capable generals leading his armies.

After my first battle where I had smashed quite the number from the Kan Duke's regular army, General Bolvon Istanius of Kan used his smaller army to rain continuous hit-and-run guerrilla tactics on my troops. On top of that, whenever I set out into the field, they would hide behind thick magical barriers that was impossible for me to do anything about. I tried digging under, launching myself over, but nope. It was an entirely spherical barrier.

And when I slept, they would disappear in the middle of the night. I tried setting up sentries to alert me awake, but by the time I woke up, they would be gone using teleportation to escape.

Yes, they teleported their their entire army.

If that wasn't enough to make my army's life hell, whenever we got close to an wall-less city to put to the siege, they would just sit there and not let up.

It was frustrating, and it hampered my progression into Duchy of Kan's territory.

I supposed I now knew what a 300 mage army was capable of, and how despite being outnumbered by all of its neighbors, the Duchy of Kan was able to keep itself secured.

My only respite in this was the fact that the very army that I was having trouble defeating was only half of the equation; the other half was fighting in a civil war.

I shivered at the thought of having to deal with two armies with the same barrier and teleportation escape ability. Forget invading into their territory, I would be completely on the defensive.

And thus was my conundrum.

As experienced and powerful my army was in firepower comparison, we severely lacked the necessary barrier-breaking or fast-travel skills required to hunt General Isatnius' army down. We couldn't siege cities because the bastards would be there to hold a city-wide barrier against us.

And I tried. I really tried. I unleashed my full skill chain three times upon that barrier, and it didn't budge.

Then I had my army try. All available archers firing as much Bomb Arrows as they could after I spent an entire week just making them.

Nope.

If only I could get Shirou to use his Caladbolg here, but he was off commanding the troops in the west...

Argh. I was stuck for the first time.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 189:**

My army and I arrived at the City of Wenrilius, a major trade hub within the Duchy of Kan according to my spies.

Unlike other walled cities, the wall of Wenrilius was imposing. It was comparable to the City of Galiz, the one city that I had completely devastated to make a point to former Duke of Nanamos for harassing my people and border three years ago.

Unfortunately for me, this wall and its people were prepared for me.

My [Observe] told me these things.

**Walls of Wenrilius**  
**Structural HP: 5,000**  
**Shield HP: 1,000,000(Mages of Kan)**

**+Fortress Rune of Chilling Fire (-15% Fire Elemental Damage Received)**  
**+Fortress Rune of Hardened Earth(-65% Physical Damage Received)**  
**+Fortress Rune of Harsh Wind (-15% Wind Elemental Damage Received)(+30% Miss Chance added to enemy physical projectiles)**  
**+Fortress Rune of Iron Staves (-100% Lightning Elemental Damage Received)**

Yeah, no wonder I couldn't do shit to other shields. A million HP? I could barely dish out ten thousand against unarmored shit. And the runes? They were solid pieces of reinforcement that I've ever seen.

Seriously, 65% negated for physical attacks? That's most of my repertoire of skills rendered useless!

All of the advantages I ever held against my enemies before this? Magic nerfed them to nothing.

'It's like this everywhere I go,' I thought to myself, staring at the imposing grey walls from my tent ten kilometers away from the city of Wenrilius. 'How am I going to conquer them...?'

If Shirou was here, he would suggest something along the lines of technological or diplomatic approach.

If Candy was here, she would suggest something along the lines of "Just charge 'em!"

If Iskan was here, he wouldn't suggest anything; he would outright admit that he knew jackshit about sieging a city.

The Elrics were with me, and they were stumped as I was as was Councilor al'Shavi.

'I need some good advice from this from anyone-!' My mental rant came to a screeching halt as my entire consciousness centered on a single word I had thought.

_Anyone_.

"Anyone," I muttered to myself. "I need some good advice from _anyone_," I grinned. "[Gamers' Market]."

I quickly opened up the market tab and typed out "siege" in the search bar.

Soon, I was bombarded with numerous trade posts regarding siege-related skills.

"I feel like a stupid for not thinking of this sooner," I muttered to myself as I looked over the titles of each trade posts and the skill books they were offering.

**Traditional Siege Engines**

**New Siege Engines! (May need electricity)**

**Ram them down like a boss!**

**There is no true warfare like Siege Warfare!**

**Make yourself this awesome dreadnought for your wars!**

**Lie through your wars**

**...**

I scrolled down, searching for anything to do with magical siege warfare.

Then I found it.

**A barrier blocking your way? Want to have some extra mana on the side? Don't worry! This is the skill book for you!**

I looked at the skill book.

**[Skill Book: Greater Siege Mana Vampirism]**

Then the cos-

_Bloody horseshit, bullshit, ape-fucking trumpet loving motherfucker!_

Thirteen million gold coins?!

Ping!

**[You have gained a new skill!]**

**[Cussing (LvL 3)** No Cost  
_There is no art like the art of cussing out your enemies_  
**Effect: Completely unrelated cuss will not affect target**  
**Effect: Completely related cuss has (skillLvL)% of affecting target.**  
**Effect: May induce [Rage]**  
**Effect: May induce [Confusion]**  
**Effect: May induce [Fear]**  
**Effect: May induce [Distrust] ]**

... Thanks again, Gamer, for your fucktardian dipshit sense of-

Ping!

**[Your cussing has gained another LvL!]**

Fuck you.

Anyways, I thought as I glared at the trade request. There was absolutely no way I was going to be _able _to get that. Oh, I wanted it, but I just couldn't.

Sighing, I put the trade post on my Watchlist.

"Thirteen million gold coins? Who the fuck had the resource to spar-" I grumbled to myself before a resounding ping rang.

I looked back at the Gamers' Market, and gawked.

...

"Did someone just buy that?"

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 190:**

For an entire day, I skimmed through the entire [Gamers' Market], though finding the end of it was an impossibility.

I did manage to pick up these skills for cheap, though.

**[Magic Penetration Theory (LvL 1)** No Cost  
_You learn not to weave magic, but to cut it._  
**Effect: +1% INT**  
**Effect: +(skillLvL*0.1)% Magic Penetration]**

**[Lesser Summoning (LvL 1) **Cost: 100 MP  
_Your personal friend (or slave)._  
**Effect: Binds the first creature you summon as your familiar**  
**Effect: Allows for summoning of bound familiar from anywhere]**

**[Rain of Fire (LvL 1)** Cost: 500 MP  
_Make it rain ... FIRE!_  
**Effect: Summons (skillLvL*12) number of floating fireballs in the air above you**  
**Effect: Fireballs flies at (skillLvL*3) m/s when launched**  
**Effect: Skill LvL is determined by Fire Magic LvL]**

**[General Chemistry (LvL 1) **No Cost  
_The understanding of the world around you and why things do the things they do._**  
Effect: +1% INT and WIS]**

**[General Psychology (LvL 1) **No Cost  
_The understanding of the people and the individual._**  
Effect: +1% INT and WIS  
Effect: +(skillLvL)% of improving relationship]**

All of these cost me three gold coins in total.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 191:**

I don't know if it was the Magic Penetration Theory that gave me this idea, but I was going to try it.

According to the said theory, magic was closer to water and air in terms of fluidity than physical objects like rocks.

Magical barriers are, in essence, hardened or frozen water and air.

What happens if you had a foreign mana that "heats up" the barrier?

So here I was in the dead middle of the night, huddled in a bottom corner of the Wenrilius' wall, touching the nearly transparent barrier.

I slowly leaked my mana into the barrier.

-10 MP. Nothing.

-50 MP. Nothing.

-100 MP. Nothng.

-150 MP. The barrier ... softened?

-200 MP. The barrier cracked.

-250 MP.

The part of the barrier about as big as myself where I had my hand on shattered like glass, but it began to mend itself.

I observed it for a while before I saw one of the guards come around.

"Time to book it," I muttered to myself before I dove into the tall grasses.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 195:**

After four more days of testing, I broke the news to my generals.

"Seriously?" Edward Elric raised an eyebrow as he asked. "Argh. It sounds too much like chemistry. Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because you're not a magician?" I chuckled.

"I'm an Alchemist. I deal with science and that's it. You and your magic hubby jibby can screw it," he grunted right back.

"You're just jealous that you're not good with magic."

It's true.

From the few reports and personal letters I managed to get from the three councilors before me of the Free Union, the Elric brothers tried their hand at magic now that they had free time.

It wasn't pretty.

Edward had tried "Fire Magic" just to spite a former superior of his from his past life, but instead of getting a fireball, he burned his entire room.

Alphonse had tried "Earth Magic" and instead of changing the ground level he was on with a pillar structure, he shattered the ground foundation of his house.

Their alchemy worked perfectly, but it was unlikely that the two of them were going to be learning any magic any time soon.

Edward just glared at me. "You and your bullshit ability-"

"Brother, please stop," Alphonse frowned.

The shorter Elric obliged, but he went on grumbling silently anyway.

It was al'Shavi's turn to talk. "So it is possible for us to breach the barrier as an army?"

"I've been thinking about that," I replied. "The thing is, I have to touch the barrier."

"Is that a problem? It's not like they can attack us while their barrier is up," Edward grunted.

Man, was he grunting a lot.

"The problem is that after my few nights of excursion, they are now stationing soldiers for lookout. No doubt that they know our ability to shatter their barrier now."

"Hmm," al'Shavi muttered as he closed his eyes.

Eventually, we settled on this plan.

The entire army would walk up to the barrier with a barrier of our own. I would break the barrier and cast my skill chain ending with [Mountain Killer] to break open the walls. I would have to cast it like ten times to break it open, but I had the MP to cast them.

But from there, my army would rush in with its own barrier still up, and once it reached far enough into the city, it would unleash hell upon the garrison.

With the planning out of the way, we prepared our army for tomorrow battle...

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 196:**

I frowned as I glared up at the mages and the garrison of the Wenrilius as they sat on top of their walls and laughed at me.

"What's the big bad troll gonna do when the Mages of Kan are here?!" one of them taunted.

I dismissed them and touched the barrier.

Without waiting for a build up of mana, I just pumped in 500 MP.

There was a pause before the entire sectional wall of the barrier shattered, leaving the actual wall of Wenrilius and the soldiers on top of it naked to our attacks.

And that's what I exactly did.

As imposing as the Walls of Wenrilius were, my [Mountain Killer] was better.

With a silent skill chain, I let out a roar and smashed right where the wall met the ground. Without waiting, I unleashed another skill chain and smashed into the ground right behind it with my other fist.

The ground trembled.

And spires of rock burst forth like a lethal geyser.

The wall shattered upon being lifted from the ground up, sending the bricks and dust up into the air.

My army didn't stop to stare in awe. Edward led them in a charge into the city.

I grunted as I fell on my bum.

With a glance, I checked my MP. **MP:[399/1,760]**

Yeah, it was pretty low.

I still got up and projected a longsword. "Time to do the actual work," I said to myself as I joined my army in fighting the garrison and the mages.

* * *

"Well shit," one of the soldiers on top of the wall muttered as he lifted his helmet just a bit higher when the entire section in front of him shattered and flew away like a house of cards against a strong breeze.

He turned to the only mage on the wall at the moment, who was desperately trying to close the shattered barrier, but even the soldier knew that the act was futile.

"W-We're screwed, aren't we?"

He looked to his friend before staring back with a grimace upon the invading Monster Race army. "Yeah."

He just hoped that this Ironwood Clan wouldn't take his little son as slave as the rumors said they would.

* * *

Archmage Kiles von Vottenswal gawked as he ran out onto the second floor balcony of the town hall and saw the Ironwood army within the city walls.

"How?!" the general of the mighty Mage Army of Kan shouted at the top of his lungs even as he paled.

He didn't pay attention to the gaggle and shouts of his commanders around and behind him as he stared in horror.

"Archmage!" a soldier shouted as he ran up to him from below the street. "They managed to breach the barrier! We can't hold them b-"

The soldier never got to finish his sentence when an arrow pierced through his neck and exploded.

The archmage leaned away from the edge of the balcony as the exploding gore spattered the edge of the place.

He whirled around. "Someone get me the messengers!" he shouted. "Hur-!"

He too stopped in his shoutings.

With a slow tilt of his head downwards, he looked at a sword protruding from his stomach and the blood that was beginning to stain his clothes.

"A-Ah..." he muttered.

"Finally, I get to stick it in you," a deep growl from behind him said.

Archmage Kiles looked over his shoulder, and came face to face with a red-skinned troll.

"Y-You..." he said even as blood began to stain his teeth and splatter with each cough. "The t-troll king...!"

"Peekaboo," the troll king grinned wickedly. "I finally caught up to you."

With that, he pulled the blade out of the archmage.

Kiles staggered backward from the pull before he fell to his knees, and then on his face.

"F... g... the ..."

He was cold and could no longer hear well.

'My lady...' the archmages' last thoughts were about his beloved sister who had married the Duke of Kan, and a small hope that she would be safe from the madness of war.

* * *

I spat on the corpse of the general of the Mage Army, who had long eluded me.

It felt good to finally catch the bastard.

Ping!

**[Your title:Impaler is put to work! Actions are taken!]**

Wait, what?

I turned to a kumbyat (third highest Highlander ranking commander) who had accompanied me with a small squad of infantry men and one other Highlander.

"Bring me the heads of all commanders," I ordered even as grabbed the archmage's neck and ripped his head out before projecting a spear and piercing it on top of it, even as the Mage Army commanders shouted in protest.

Without a pause of hesitation, the kumbyat turned to the rest of the soldiers before me in the townhall and nodded.

"GAH!"

"PLEAS-!"

"MY LO-!"

"ACK"

I projected four more spears and tossed them to the soldiers, who did as I had done.

I stabbed to the balcony ledge.

"TODAY IS IRONWOOD VICTORY!" I roared.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 4 + Day 190:**

**Naruto  
[High Chief Ruto][The Impaler][King Ruto of Ironwood Clan]  
LvL 163  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker -****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 218.5(+999.5) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,760 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 1999(1499.25(SGMII))  
DEX: 502  
AGI: 516  
END: 808  
INT: 317 (+3.17(MPT))(+3.17(GC))(+3.17(GP))  
WIS: 325 (+3.25(GC))****(+3.25(GP))****  
CHA: 312  
Unused Points: 121**

**Spirit: 91  
Magic: 65  
Power: 93**

**Control: 158  
**

**Fame(Prestige): + 36,103.1  
Infamy: +8,479**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**, **Proud**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 10)  
Small Flaming arrow (LvL 10)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: ****  
****Aegis Shield (LvL 9)  
Berserker (LvL 11)**x  
**Burst (LvL 7)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 6)  
****Fire Magic (AVG LvL 8)- Fireball (LvL 21) - Fire Whip (LvL 6) - Fire Lance (LvL 2) - Fire Blast (LvL 3) - Rain of Fire (LvL 8)****  
Instant Dungeon Creation (LvL 9)  
Lesser Summoning (LvL 1)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 11)**x  
**Magic Penetration (LvL 1)**  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 11)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 94) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 69)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 39)  
Reinforcement (LvL 54)  
Shadow Clone (LvL 4)  
****Sonar (LvL 47)  
Time Decel (LvL 16)  
****Water Magic (AVG LvL 2) - Waterball (LvL 2)****  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 36)**x**  
Archery (LvL 48)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 27)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 36)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 43)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 71)**x**  
Charging (LvL 25)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 52) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11)) - Tailoring (Sub(LvL 4))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 41)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 42)****  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
General Chemistry (LvL 1)  
General Economics (LvL 4)  
General Mathematics (LvL 3)  
General Psychology (LvL 1)  
Grasscutting (LvL 2)  
Intimidation (LvL 52)****  
Language (LvL 9): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
****Lesser Kingship (LvL 4)****  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 5)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 6)  
Listening (LvL 40)  
****Lovemaking (LvL 26)****  
Mapping (LvL 23)  
Mining (LvL 6)  
Negotiation (LvL 22) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 15)  
Physical Durability (LvL 57)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 26)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Teaching (LvL 25)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 50)  
Trapping (LvL 53)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 82)  
**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System  
Gamers' Market  
Help Search Bar**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , **Fairies**, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **,**Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , **Lizardmen**, Earth Fairy, Orc, **Elf**, **Drakken**

**(Darkened races make up more than 5% of the total population. **Non-highlighted races make up less than 5% of the total population**)**

**Ironwood Highlander Warrior Count: **909  
**Ironwood Blue Cataclysm Mage Count**: 83  
**Ironwood Black Skull Reaper Count:** 116  
**Ironwood Green Healer Count:** 32

**Total City Population:** 13,537

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,261

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 7,977**  
regionalPower**: 7.5

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan -**Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou -**Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa -**Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golthaum** \- Dhan'Thal dwarf leader and on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.  
**Kragnok** \- Scorchscale Clan representative.

**Vassals**

**Pyrcol** \- Lower Carpathi City-States (regionalPower: 2.3)  
**Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Vyyagrin al'Shavi** \- Free Union (regionalPower: 5)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi  
**Grand Duchess Minverva Managot** of the Sarang

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 7.5)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +950 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 15)  
**Grand Duchy of Sarang +700 (Ally)** (nationalPower: 5)**  
Kingdom of Galburi -500 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 9.7)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -100 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 6.4)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Important Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set (Broken)****  
Contract Emblem for County of Upper Carpathi  
Contract Emblem for Duchy of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Western Mari  
Contract Emblem for County of Eastern Mari  
****Contract Emblem for County of Northern Dynland ****  
Vassal-Liege Contract with Free Union (Elric Brothers and al'Shavi)  
Dhan'Thal Pollodium Mail Armor Set  
Passable Hemp-Fabric Workout Outfit**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!  
****Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)****  
**

* * *

**Ranks of the Three Orders  
**

**Order Grandmaster  
**Responsible for macromanagement of the entire order.

**General / Councilor  
**Responsible for macromanagement of army they are assigned to in and out of battlefield.

**Kumbyat**  
Responsible for macromanagement and micromanagement of the battalion they are assigned to in and out of battlefield.

**Commander  
**Responsible for macromanagement and micromanagement of the company they are assigned to in and out of battlefield.

**Lieutenant  
**Responsible for management of platoon they are assigned to in and out of battlefield.

**Sergeant****  
**Responsible for management of squad they are assigned to in and out of battlefield.

**Orderee  
**Non-commanding member of the Three Orders.

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes:**

*Shirou wouldn't just pull out Excalibur for a small army. He has Caladbolg for that. Both it and Excalibur are A ranked NPs, which means that broken or not, their destructive capabilities are about the same. Why pull out a sword that may cost him more mana due to its make when he would trace five more Caladbolgs for more destructive output?

What I meant to show in the previous chapter is that magic is overpowered here. While there are weaker mages, a "true" mage is capable of holding off destruction anti-army destruction once or twice. A group of them working together can outlast a single opponent with an Anti-army ability. I showed in M'Arkan Rebellion as well. A single S ranked mage was capable of holding off against four other S ranked fighters for some time without resorting to running away at full speed.

Ruto is currently SS ranked, but if he fought a combat-mage of S+ (between S and SS) rank, he would be demolished without a doubt. Imagine Caster with more power. Remember the meaning behind "mage." It is one who prepares. More preparation they have, stronger they are.


	87. Chapter 87

_**Arc:  
Rounding Out**_

_**Part III - Eastern Front / Ruto**_

* * *

_**Previously on Re:Gamer...**_

_**Duchy of Kan had been sighted, and some of its men caught, raiding the border towns in Ironwood Clan's territory. In response to such blatant aggression, Ruto has declared war upon the Duchy of Kan.**_

_**This is the aftermath of the Battle of Wenrilius...**_

* * *

**-w-\AvA/-w-**

* * *

**[Report of "Battle of Wenrilius"  
Your Participants: 4,309  
Enemy Participants: 3,818**

**Your Casualties: 614  
Enemy Casualties: 2,506**

**Prestige Gain: 2,401x0.1(foot soldier killed) + 12x100 (middle level commanders killed) + 92x200(c-rankers killed) + 1x1,000(A-rankers killed) = 20,840.1**

**Infamy: 800(Impaler!) + 10x878(Civilians killed) = 9,580**

**Enemy Chief Commander Killed!: +50,000 EXP  
First Blood!: +100 EXP  
Trade Hub City Captured!: +10,000 EXP  
**

**Total LvL Gained: 0]**

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 197:  
**

"I suppose... it's a very ... grotesque art," I reasoned.

With me were the other commanders and the councilors of the Free Union.

The latter three who were very vocal about the treatment of the enemy commanders.

Namely, how they were executed and their heads displayed.

Well, at least Edward was.

"All that knoweldge! All of that wisdom! He was the chief commander of the Kan Mage Army! He was one of the most learned man! You could've recruited him, but no~ instead you fucked him over because you wanted to impale him!" Edward roared at him.

One of the troll commanders under me shot up and pointed at Edward venomously. "You have no right to question your Lord, human!" he spat.

"Guys-" I said, only to be interrupted by Edward.

"You don't get to question my questions, you fucking pig!" he roared right back at the troll.

This got the other commanders to rise up to give their remark.

And soon, the entire tent was a shoutfest.

I sighed. "I grow tired of this."

I brought my hands up and clapped as hard as my hands could take in one go.

It was a sonic boom that ruptured throughout the tent and beyond. All of the commanders were on their knees from the painful attack to their ears.

"Enough!" I growled.

Everyone slowly got back to their seats, and some of them had shaking legs.

"If you intend to squabble, do not waste my time," I grunted. then turning to Edward, I addressed him. "While I appreciate your candor regarding the reputation, advancement, and responsibility, do not publically denounce me. If you have something to say, say it privately."

Edward grunted in acknowledgement.

I then turned to the commanders. "I appreciate -no, I am proud- of the fact that you would come to my defense so readily, but do not let anger consume you. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" the four commanders saluted.

"Good," I replied. "Then let's go over what re-organizing our troops to fill the ranks."

* * *

It was decided later in the meeting that we would merge the most depleted of the four battalions into two separate battalions, reducing the number of battalions from 12 to 10.

Other than that, I noted that we suffered very little while slaying many and capturing many more.

It was actually a surprise to most of us when al'Shavi used his privilege as a vassal of mine and one of the conquering commanders to claim 30 of the captured mages for his own. I obliged as long as they weren't to be treated as slaves or serfs. He acknowledged and sent half of his personal troops to escort the mages back home.

With the issue of re-organizing the army out of the way, I now had to consolidate my gains.

As per the law of the land -my land!-, there were no lootings to be done, so there were no loots to be distributed.

This helped a lot of with the relations with the city and its people. While civilians had been killed, mostly by cross-fire, lack of looting, raping, and such had given my army and my nation a good reputation among the residents of Wenrilius.

So at night, I met up with the mayor of the city.

He came into my tent and bowed at waist-level, and remained there.

"Come and sit, Mayor Renovaticus," I invited him.

He rose up with confused an questioning expression on his face. "Your Majesty, for a mayor like myself to sit with royalty like yourself-" he began, but I waved him off.

"I don't mind, and it is normal with my people to come to me to talk and such," I replied. "I do not know how it is done in the lands of Kan, bu I assure you, I am nothing like the kings and nobles of Kan and Galburia."

There was a moment of pause as the mayor tried to determine whether or not he should believe me before he nodded and complied.

'[Observe],' I mentally commanded.

**[Salen Renovaticus**

**[Mayor of Wenrilius]**  
**[Lesser Noble of Kan]**  
**[House of Renova]**

**Age: 41**  
**Race: Pure Human**

**HP: 180**  
**MP: 11**

**STR: 90**  
**END: 39**  
**AGI: 22**  
**DEX: 51**  
**INT: 80**  
**WIS: 120**  
**CHA: 77**

**Traits:**  
**Erudite, Gregarious, Honest, Cautious, Just]**

So Salen Renovaticus was basically a good man, someone worth keeping.

"I'll be honest with you, mayor," I said as I pushed a small plate of Trombo Worm steak with herbs on the side. "I do not like war."

The mayor tried to not look surprised by my declaration. "You don't, Your Majesty?" he asked.

"I would rather focus on developing my cities and improving my farmlands rather than expanding like I have for the past four years," I replied. "It creates unrest and disturbances that I would rather not face."

"I see," he replied. "Then why have you declared war on us, sir, if I may ask?"

"Because your duke raided my people," I replied easily. "Nearly ten thousand people were affected in more than a dozen villages. On top of that, your duke had declared his intentions to declare war on us at the same time as the Kingdom of Galburia."

"... Thank you for being candor with me, Your Majesty," he said and bowed slightly in his seat.

I waved it off again.

"...Sir, if I may ask-"

"Yes?"

"-What's going to happen to my people?"

"..." I looked at the man. It was obvious to me that Salen was no cold-hearted politician. The [Observe] told me that already. I hadn't thought much about how someone like him would reach the position that he has, but it seems that he seemed to genuinely care those he was put in charge of.

I picked up the fork and pointed it at him.

"The answer depends," I replied.

He stilled.

"Sir?"

"How many of your people are willing to part with their slaves?"

A pause.

"Not many," he replied honestly, though he looked very wary. "Our city is one of the greatest and wealthiest in the Duchy of Kan. Only the capital surpasses our city in population, wealth, and power. As such, we have a lot of nobles here as well... It would be hard to get those nobles to part with their slaves, sir."

"I see,"I commented as I leaned back into the chair. "And what have you learned about me and my people regarding slaves?" He stilled- no, this time it was closer to freezing in place. "I won't take any offense," I assured him.

He opened his mouth once and then twice before he seemed to make up his mind.

"That ... there are no slaves because you eat them all ... sir."

I blinked before I let out a roaring laughter.

* * *

After I got my bearing and composure back, I assured him that we had no slaves because we forbade slavery.

He was very, very relieved by that.

Soon after that, he agreed to a full surrender, including a small contingent of his personal elite troops, who had been waiting to kill me.

I scoffed when he looked really scared about punishment.

My response was this: "They would have a better chance killing a S-ranker than myself."

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 203:**

"The Duchy of Kan split?"

"Yes, sir," the messenger kneeling before me affirmed. "The Bamis Primacy was able to break through the last of the Kan's capital defenses. Rather than allow the Primacy to capture the capital, the duke surrendered."

I scoffed. "If he's not going to be able to control even his own people, why did he do stupid shit like raiding my towns?" I commented.

"Maybe he was confident?" Edward asked from my side. "You know how stupidly confident people get."

I grunted in agreement.

"We march straight to the capital then. Let's put an end to this war as quickly as possible.

* * *

Unfortunately for Ruto and his people, trouble he intended to deal with later came to him first.

Shirou held off the army of four thousand in east central border, but this left the northeastern border open.

Less than a week after Ruto had taken over Wenrilius, the Carpathi Valley Entrance Outpost was put under siege.

By an army of five thousand.

The warriors and soldiers saw them coming before they were put under siege. The commander quickly made the decision to hold the position as best as possible while he sent a messenger to the Ironwood City and the Aru Tribe, whose primary herding ground stood between them and the city. Why did he decide to hold?

Aru tribe numbered less than two thousand; they had to evacuate the central Carpathi Valley immediately.

As for the Ironwood City, there was perhaps five hundred orderees and another five hundred in garrison. With access to the Trombo Farm and the watering holes within the city, they would last a long time, but this was under the condition that their numbers held. If an active siege assaults were held, then the center of the Ironwood Clan, the Ironwood City, would fall.

Outpost Commander Ran could not let that happen. Not when his family was in the city too.

It had been a three days since the siege began on their small outpost. The thick cobblestone walls held, but the number of men holding it had dwindled from a eight hundred to mere hundred.

Every single one of them knew that today would be their last stand.

"DUCK!" a soldier roared as he saw the enemy archers fire upon his outpost. The arrows flew in an arc before bouncing off the hardy walls.

The men pulled their shield up, and the few arrows that did make it to them struck the shields.

"FIRE!" They fired back in return, but they were massively outgunned.

Then the ramming began.

Two dozen warriors threw their body against the wooden doors.

But with each strike, everyone heard the cracks of breaking wood.

The eighty men stood behind the gate, the only way in, with all of their armor and arms.

"Let's take out as many of them as possible, yeah?" the commander said with a grin from the front of his men.

They chuckled and some pounded their chest.

_CRACK!_

The gate broke.

* * *

Duke Heron Bojual sneered.

"Three fucking days," he hissed. "That's how long your bloody incompetence has tied us up on this tiny fort!"

The commander before him kept silent. They knew better than to give excuses.

"Hurry up and join the assault. I don't want to see you again until you're drenched in their blood."

"Yes, sir!" The two commanders then quickly marched away.

With another sneer, he sat back down onto his five hundred gold coin worth luxury tiger skin chair.

As a member of the High Nobility, Duke Heron Bojual was also a high spender. His lifestyle could not be sustained by the taxes alone, unfortunately, which had led him to take part in this attack against the Ironwood Clan for cash.

Oh, how he needed those gold coins. He had unexpectedly plunged himself into a fashion war with his rival, the Duke of Hyothesbirg, and it had drained his treasury like nothing else.

How could he have known that a single tinberry extract cane imported from the Golden Theocracy was worth a hundred fifty gold coins? He certainly didn't. But there was no other material nor item on the market for immediate sale that he could buy to show off his wealth against the Duke of Hyothesbirg.

A messenger bounded up to him as he stewed in his thoughts.

"Your Grace, the frontier commanders project that we will have the fort within the hour!"

"Yes, yes," he waved the messenger away. "Tell them to just hurry it up."

"Yes, Your Grace!"

Ha... How he wished his plantations were worth more than those under Duke of Hyothesbirg. Why did his bloody father have to invest in wheat instead of goods like cotton, silk, and the like? His bloody foolish father was too focused on feeding the slaves and the dirty commoners to think about profit...

"Renta?"

"Yes, sir?" his elderly butler asked as he stepped up.

"Remind me to demolish father's tome for his latest idiocy."

"Of course, sir."

He would also not have spent three days here if his father had spent his time training siege or combat mages instead of healers.

* * *

John was a human. He was also from Galburia.

He had three sons and three daughters.

He was also a former slave.

His grip on his saber tightened as its naked blade dug into the neck of an unfortunate Galburian soldier. He ripped it out from the blood spraying neck of the already dead man. He whirled with the same pull, and sliced at the face of another soldier.

"Come get me, you sons of bitches!" he roared.

"John, back off! Back off!"

"Damn it! We're surrounded! GACK!"

John growled as he saw Kilma go down. Without waiting, he stabbed into the chest of another soldier before he could kill his last remaining partner.

But it didn't do him good. Xerses took a spear from behind and went down.

"DAMN YO-!" he roared, but he was cut off when a Galburian commander in colors sliced his neck open.

With a gurgle, he went down, but not before he sliced off the commander's arm in retaliation.

* * *

Commander Ran was pushed to the storage with a handful of warriors. Those who were outside had just died.

John, Xerses, and Kilma had been their best warriors. Now, it was just a few average soldiers, his friend, and himself.

He coughed as his friend set him down next to the barrels while the other men used their bodies as the last rampart for the flimsy door between them and the horde of Galburian soldiers.

His breath was short and his left arm was gone, torn off by a savage beardog.

"So this is it, huh? We're just going to be killed here?"

"Ran..." his friend muttered.

"Guys."

Everyone looked at him.

"It's been a pleasure serving with you, even if all of your feet smelled like crazy."

A chuckle. A laugh.

"Ha..." he let out a sigh as he leaned back.

_Thunk._

"?" he frowned and looked over his shoulder. Then his eyes widened, and his lips stretched into a painful grin. "Gentlemen," he hissed in pain as he stood back up. They turned to look at him even as their strength ran out and the door fell apart slowly.

Then their own eyes widened and their own lips parted into a maniacal grin.

"It seems we have one last gift for the bastards," he grinned.

"Aye!" someone said even as their eyes teared up.

"Torch," Ran said to his friend, who lit a small stick on fire before handing it to him.

"Gentlemen. Let's dine in hell tonight! FOR THE IRONWOOD CLAN!"

"FOR THE CLAN!"

With that, Ran turned around and stuck the torch into the barrel.

A barrel that was one of many and yet had been used for a single purpose.

Gunpowder for the new prototype guns that would never arrive.

All three hundred barrels worth of gunpowder lit up.

* * *

It was apocalypse.

The entire fort exploded.

As did two thousand of the men who had stormed it.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 199:**

"Nothing?" I frowned after I saw my STR hit 2000. "Well, that's a bummer."

Ping!

**[Carpathi Valley Entrance Outpost has been obliterated!]**

"...What?"

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 4 + Day 200:**

**Naruto  
[High Chief Ruto][The Impaler][King Ruto of Ironwood Clan]  
LvL 164  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker -****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 218.5(+1,000) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,760 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 2,000(1500(SGMII))  
DEX: 502  
AGI: 518  
END: 808  
INT: 317 (+3.17(MPT))(+3.17(GC))(+3.17(GP))  
WIS: 326 (+3.26(GC))****(+3.26(GP))****  
CHA: 316  
Unused Points: 128**

**Spirit: 91  
Magic: 65  
Power: 93**

**Control: 159  
**

**Fame(Prestige): +56,943.2  
Infamy: +18,059**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**, **Proud**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 10)  
Small Flaming arrow (LvL 10)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: ****  
****Aegis Shield (LvL 9)  
Berserker (LvL 11)**x  
**Burst (LvL 7)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 6)  
****Fire Magic (AVG LvL 8)- Fireball (LvL 21) - Fire Whip (LvL 6) - Fire Lance (LvL 2) - Fire Blast (LvL 3) - Rain of Fire (LvL 8)****  
Instant Dungeon Creation (LvL 9)  
Lesser Summoning (LvL 1)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 11)**x  
**Magic Penetration (LvL 1)**  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 11)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 94) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 69)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 39)  
Reinforcement (LvL 54)  
Shadow Clone (LvL 4)  
****Sonar (LvL 47)  
Time Decel (LvL 16)  
****Water Magic (AVG LvL 2) - Waterball (LvL 2)****  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 36)**x**  
Archery (LvL 48)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 27)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 36)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 43)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 71)**x**  
Charging (LvL 25)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 52) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11)) - Tailoring (Sub(LvL 4))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 41)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 42)****  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
General Chemistry (LvL 1)  
General Economics (LvL 5)  
General Mathematics (LvL 3)  
General Psychology (LvL 2)  
Grasscutting (LvL 2)  
Intimidation (LvL 53)****  
Language (LvL 10): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
****Lesser Kingship (LvL 5)****  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 6)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 7)  
Listening (LvL 41)  
****Lovemaking (LvL 26)****  
Mapping (LvL 24)  
Mining (LvL 6)  
Negotiation (LvL 22) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 17)  
Physical Durability (LvL 57)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 26)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Teaching (LvL 25)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 50)  
Trapping (LvL 53)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 82)  
**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System  
Gamers' Market  
Help Search Bar**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , **Fairies**, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **,**Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , **Lizardmen**, Earth Fairy, Orc, **Elf**, **Drakken**

**(Darkened races make up more than 5% of the total population. **Non-highlighted races make up less than 5% of the total population**)**

**Ironwood Highlander Warrior Count: **909  
**Ironwood Blue Cataclysm Mage Count**: 83  
**Ironwood Black Skull Reaper Count:** 116  
**Ironwood Green Healer Count:** 32

**Total City Population:** 13,537

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,261

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 7,977**  
regionalPower**: 7.5

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan -**Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou -**Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa -**Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golthaum** \- Dhan'Thal dwarf leader and on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.  
**Kragnok** \- Scorchscale Clan representative.

**Vassals**

**Pyrcol** \- Lower Carpathi City-States (regionalPower: 2.3)  
**Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Vyyagrin al'Shavi** \- Free Union (regionalPower: 5)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi  
**Grand Duchess Minverva Managot** of the Sarang

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 7.5)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +950 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 15)  
**Grand Duchy of Sarang +700 (Ally)** (nationalPower: 5)**  
Kingdom of Galburi -500 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 9.7)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -100 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 6.4)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Important Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set (Broken)****  
Contract Emblem for County of Upper Carpathi  
Contract Emblem for Duchy of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Western Mari  
Contract Emblem for County of Eastern Mari  
****Contract Emblem for County of Northern Dynland ****  
Vassal-Liege Contract with Free Union (Elric Brothers and al'Shavi)  
Dhan'Thal Pollodium Mail Armor Set  
Passable Hemp-Fabric Workout Outfit**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!  
****Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes + Sneak Peaks:**

**Message from Kurama:** "Finally," the giant fox cackled as he felt tiny portions of the passing souls enter him. "War has arrived on your doorstep, Naruto. Give me a show, boy. Give me a good show."

***MAP UPDATE! Check the Scraps and find the map with the right date (4.200)! **  
**Or add this to deviantart address after .com: "art/Map-of-Andalusia-3-2-Year-4-Day-200-618614103"**


	88. Chapter 88

_**Arc:  
Rounding Out**_

_**Part IV - War for the Homeland**_

* * *

_**Previously on Re:Gamer...**_

_**Duchy of Kan had been sighted, and some of its men caught, raiding the border towns in Ironwood Clan's territory. In response to such blatant aggression, Ruto has declared war upon the Duchy of Kan.**_

* * *

**-w-\AvA/-w-**

* * *

_**Year 4 + Day 199:**_

_"Nothing?" I frowned after I saw my STR hit 2000. "Well, that's a bummer."_

_Ping!_

_**[Carpathi Valley Entrance Outpost has been obliterated!]**_

_"...What?"_

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 200:**

I gave up on the capital. War would have to continue for some time, and I would be giving the Duke of Kan time to recover and gather his forces, but there was simply no way for me continue on.

After I got the message that the Carpathi Valley Entrance Outpost had been destroyed, I look at my total force on my [Nation] overview, which was similar to that of the [City]. I found that of the thousand troops that were stationed in the western border of the Core Carpathi provinces, none had survived the attack there, and the few scouts that I did have there saw that there were at least two thousand five hundred more enemy troops bearing down upon the Ironwood City.

At the rate that I saw seeing them move, they would reach the city in the span of a week.

On the other hand, my army was way out in the front. At forced march speed, the entire army would get back to the capital at three weeks and no less. Considering that we made it out to the front here in the Duchy of Kan after a month of marching, that was cutting down on a week's worth of marching. I knew that it would weaken the soldiers, though.

But I had to make do. I would have to trust the meager amount of soldiers stationed at the city itself to hold for two weeks.

* * *

**-w-\AvA/-w-**

* * *

Candy grimaced.

"One week."

"Yes, Your Grace," the Highlander scout before her replied.

In absence of Shirou and Ruto, she had called the Small Chief Council after a single survivor of the western outposts made it to the city on top of a dead-tired kodo mount.

The report itself had been horrifying.

The survivor reported seeing at least three thousand enemy troops when the outpost blew up and he had to flee.

Three thousand troops that were now coming at them.

"Iskan, how many troops do we have in the city?" she asked her friend and the Grandmaster of the Highlanders, Iskan.

The Zandalari troll frowned. "A thousand. One hundred veteran Highlanders, four hundred trainees, and five hundred regular garrison members are all we have right now. This is excluding any of the troops that the clans may provide us."

"Can we call upon our vassal tribes for support?"

"Aside from Aru tribe, none of the other tribes are big enough. However, the Aru tribe are in the process of evacuating if our scout here is right. Right?"

The survivor/scout nodded frantically. "I-I'm actually from the Aru tribe, sirs and ma'am's. I warned everyone to head up north towards Duchy."

Candy nodded in acknowledgement. "You did well. No point having them stay where they are in the path of danger. But I need you to go back to them and bring the promised warriors as per liege to vassal agreement."

"Yes, Your Grace!" With that, the scout marched out of the room.

Candy then turned to the others. "Senna. I need you to take trappers and literal the rode to our front gate. Preferably magic traps."

The Greater Fairy nodded. "I'll do my best."

Candy then turned to Iskan. "Iskan-"

"I'll get the troops up to shape, armored, armed, and ready to defend our home."

"Kragnok?" she looked to the drakken clan lord.

The Lord of the Scorchscale Drakken Clan let out a puff of fire and smoke. "We shall defend our home. You can expect to see two hundred Scorchscale Drakkens up on your walls."

She smiled. "Thank you."

"Aye!" the Lord of Dhan'Thal Dwarven Clan exclaimed in agreement. "The Great Ironwood Clan has sheltered us when they didn't need to, and gave us a home. We shall defend our home as well! Three hundred dwarves will defend the walls and the tunnels of our beloved city!"

Candy blinked in surprise and then frowned. "What about your lower valley entrance tunnels, Lord Golthaum?" she asked.

The grey dwarf grimaced. "We'll have to bring 'em down. No other choice."

"What about the civilians? We don't have emergency vaults or bunkers for them to fall back to."

Candy grimaced. 'What would Ruto do? We don't have anything like that... We could send them out to the northern villages, but it's highly unlikely that the small farming villages would be able to hold all of the people we have. Also if any of their scouts find them...' She shuddered at the thought of a massacre.

Oh, don't get her wrong. She didn't care for the people.

She cared about what Ruto would do. Ruto would be definitely unhappy if she let his people die because she refused to move cause of reasons.

'What would Ruto do...?' she thought before it hit her.

"Make one."

Everyone turned to her with few protests.

"We don't have the time-"

"But we have the tunnels, right? We can spend our next week turning many of the unused tunnels into makeshift emergency vaults. Put a thick enough metal door with ventilation and the Galburians won't be able to get through."

Senna seemed to think about it before shaking her head. "No. It's better to keep them in the center of the city and hope for the best. The unused tunnels are too dangerous. We don't know if they will collapse."

"What about food and water? All of our watering holes are outside the city," Kragnok asked.

Candy grunted. "We have mages. We can draw water from the air."

Riddle shook her head. "That will put too much stress on my mages' mana reserves. We can't make shields during combat if we're draining ourselves during our rest time."

"Then have people draw up as much water as possible and store them in large jugs," Candy replied. "I want at least a month's supply of water and food in the citadel in three day's time."

There were nods.

"Then dismissed."

Candy watched everyone leave the meeting room in two's and three's, discussing the upcoming siege. Then she found herself alone with Senna, who was staring at her.

"Aren't you going to go back home, Senna?" she asked.

Senna just continued her stare for a bit more before she chuckled. "Just how much do you love Ruto?" she asked.

Candy balked at the sudden intimate question. "Senna?" she whispered, confused and questioning in equal parts.

The Greater Fairy Queen of the Ironwood Clan just chuckled. "Oh, you're like an open book to me, Candy! I know you don't care about the city at all."

Ah, so that's her angle.

Candy propped up an elbow and placed her head on it as she relaxed. "Tell me about it."

"Don't want Ruto to get mad at you?"

She cringed and nodded without moving from her slumped position. "Yeah. If the city falls, Ruto will have coronary with me."

"I would expect it."

"...You know, considering that you're the one who's considered the queen of the clan, you are very lax about ... everything."

Senna frowned. "Managing the administration is not as easy as people think, especially where the merchants are concerned."

"How so?"

The fairy sighed. "Well, for one, they're demanding from us protection, shelter, and decrease in taxes because they are going back and forth in a territory that's supposedly 'war-torn' nation. Merchants from our clans are less vocal about such things because of their loyalty, but foreign merchants are extremely vocal. One of the Transyl-Carpathian merchant even had the gall to make demands of me personally after barging into my office in the morning!" she ranted towards the end. "Then Jego goes and makes a scene by punching him! I could defend myself from a fat merchants without a single blade on him, thank you very much! ARGH!"

Candy raised an eyebrow. "Is that a daily occurrence?"

Senna's eyes narrowed. "If it was, I would have to whip my entire department into shape. I will not have my people physically attacking others over insult nor will I entertain pompous bastards who think money equals right in this clan!"

'Well, she's extremely adamant about that,' Candy thought before she stretched and stood up. "I suppose I should go and help with making the traps. Will you manage the ration stockpiling?" she asked.

Senna nodded. "My job today at the administration was done anyway. I'll see what I can do with my ents."

* * *

Eventually, Candy oversaw the installment of traps along the lower valley and the mountain roads leading to the Ironwood City while Senna managed the preparations of the defense.

Under Senna's advisement, Candy established scouting and ambush platoon whose sole purpose would be to wreck havoc upon the approaching army with an additional focus on destroying their supply lines. Iskan, the only combat-focused S-ranker still within the city, led a single platoon composed mostly of "Marauder" category class Highlanders.

According to Iskan, the Marauders received direct help from magic itself when they sought out to ruin their enemies, but especially more so when it came to raiding, looting, and killing.

And so, two days after being formed, Iskan's Marauders struck back at the invaders.

* * *

Iskan sat quietly by the trunk of a tree.

Behind, left, right, above, and around the entire forest, his men sat in similar silence in forest camouflage.

Despite their initial misgivings, they had circled around the entire enemy army without striking at them once, and found themselves at the suspected supply route of Duke Bojual's army.

From a single knight they had managed to capture, the duke had apparently attacked the Ironwood Clan for trivial reasons like ... clothes.

Yeah, sufficed to say, they were angry and confused at the same time.

Iskan managed to calm them down after the knight's interrogation, but he supposed that it did serve a purpose.

His eyes narrowed as he spotted the supply caravan he had been waiting for.

...

At the pace they were moving, they would be in ten minutes.

He met the eyes of a fresh Highlander recruit who had been recruited less than a month ago. A fresh young orcess with a bone to pick with the Galburians for killing her relatives.

The young orcess's eyes were lit brightly with eager bloodthirst.

He nodded to her, and she returned it with a curt nod of her own.

Less than ten minutes later, the first ox of the supply caravan had entered the ambush zone. Less than a minute later, the supply caravan had covered their entire ambush zone and more.

He gave them all orders with sign language.

Target the guards, soldiers, and food. Burn everything. Everything else is taken as prisoner or loot.

Everyone gave a silent nod in acknowledgement.

Then he jumped down.

* * *

He was angry. Oh, he was.

Why did he, the son of a famous knight, resorted to this humiliating job or guarding the supply caravan and its peasant handlers through a territory they had already conquered?

It was demeaning, and he knew why.

His rival had bribed their superiors.

He should have done the same as well, but it was his fault for not thinking of it fast enough.

"WAARRGHH!"

His eyes widened, and his training took over. He dropped low and rolled away in one fluid motion.

The soldier behind him was not as lucky.

A iron axe bigger than the knight's own chest slammed into the unfortunate human soldier. Without even inspecting closely, the knight knew that the steel of the axe had torn through the flimsy leather armor of the peasant levy and had ripped open the ribcage. That peasant was dead even before he realized what was happening.

"AMBUSH!" he roared, alerting the entirety of the caravan.

But it was too late.

Arrows rained down by the hundreds all around him. Men and women fell like fall leaves.

"Shit-!" he hissed but it was too late for him too.

A single arrow pierced through his thigh, and he fell screaming.

Then the giant troll was upon him with his axe.

* * *

Iskan didn't bother to wipe the blood spattered on his face. Instead, he whirled around and struck down the downed knight without mercy.

His axe bit into the knight's exposed neck and sliced it off cleanly.

Without waiting, he turned right back around.

"Keep the front and rear guards out until we get rid of all of the bastards!" he roared out the commands.

His archers gleefully turned on the said enemies.

"HA!" he laughed when a tauren slave soldier tried to stab him in the back. He grabbed the tauren's spear, snapped it in two with a single twist of his wrist, and chopped at the tauren's sides with his axe.

The tauren went down to the ground, letting out a moo of pain.

Iskan gave him no mercy and used the very spearhead he had snapped away to stab the tauren through his head.

The tauren froze before the dead corpse relaxed.

Iskan pulled the spearhead right back out, a thing that was as long as his hand was, and threw it like a throwing knife at a charging soldier.

Surprisingly, the human soldier parried the attack and charged in.

"Lucky parry," he scoffed and went for a uppercut strike with his axe.

The human stopped right before the axe and backpedaled, dodging the blow.

Iskan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You can dodge then."

* * *

Severus was scared as hell.

Born to this messed up world without his magic, he had been forced to work as a slave in Duke Bojual's rice plantations.

Oh, how he hated his life.

After being killed by his own "master," he was reborn as a slave.

Slave in one life, slave in the next.

And then there was war, and he had been drafted to fight in the front.

He bemoaned his fate, but when he found out that he was going to be guarding the caravan, he was ... okay with that. At least, he wouldn't die.

Then they were ambushed.

He charged with what he assumed was a meek battlecry, pointing his spear straight at the _giant _troll in front of him.

The troll threw something, and somehow, he blocked it.

His arm shook from the blow, though.

A mere thrown weapon had reduced him to such state.

How pathetic.

He glanced behind him.

There were arrows everywhere.

No way out. Only forward.

With another roar, he charged.

The troll said something and swung his axe, but Severus's eyes saw the move in the troll's tensing muscles; while he had lost his magic, he had still retained much of his knowledge.

He stopped just before the axe struck, and the axe passed by where his head would've been a mere second ago before the stop.

The troll looked amused.

It pointed at me. "You'll make a fine addition to the clan. If you surrender now, I'll let you live."

Severus really cursed his fate, and threw the spear down.

Then the troll punched him to darkness.

* * *

As Iskan threw the Galburian over his shoulder and whistled for everyone to retreat back to the city, the rear guard of the supply caravan fell away.

A squad of the Marauders saw this happen, and quickly raided the rear caravan. They killed the oxen and whatever beasts of burden, burned the grain, and ...

And found a bunch of armors and arms.

Sufficed to say, those were looted and taken back to the Marauders.

* * *

**-w-\AvA/-w-**

* * *

While Iskan had successfully launched an ambush, Senna was busy.

First of all, while Candy had managed to take the responsibility of managing the trap laying, Senna had her own cards to play for the traps.

So in the dead of the night when everyone was sleeping, she slipped out of the city and into the last line of forest before the Ironwood City some mile away.

There, she stood before the forest, just three days before the inevitable siege, and sang.

Now, one must understand that the fairykin do not talk like normal races. In their truest nature, surrounded only by their own kin, they use lights, chirps, and body gestures to get their message across. It was kind of like a genetic language woven into them that allows themselves to be understood by fairies and nature itself.

Greater Fairies, upon evolution, lose the ability to perform the "fairy speech," but they gain something else.

The ability to sing commands to nature.

The voice of a Greater Fairy was like that of a soothing melody.

And Senna, as the reincarnation of Matou Sakura, had inherited one more factor to add to her repertoire.

That unlike the others, she had brought something from her past life to this one. Something that even Shirou would balk at.

So she sang a melancholic melody that spoke of her past. How she was thrown in to be devoured by evil, how she was abandoned by her family, and how she was rescued.

But how the evil remained, how her resentment remained, how she had nearly killed her own sister...

She sang the command for the trees to take in bits and pieces of the World's Evil in the defense of her city and her beloved.

Roots slowly rose up from the ground and dug into her flesh, bleeding her as they forced their way in.

She ignored the pain and sang louder. The command grew stronger.

The roots reached deeper into her and found her tainted core. They wrapped themselves around it, and drank richly and deeply from it.

Soon, the brown roots quivered as the corrupted mana Senna had been keeping filtered inside her corrupted them.

The brown barks fell away to reveal core wood that had turned into black _flesh_.

The corrupted moved up the root and into the trees.

But unlike the roots, the trees kept their barks and kept their appearance same.

The same could not said for the ground.

Nearly being in the presence of such tainted mana that personified corruption of a world's evil was enough to make the ground turn into red and black.

But those were hidden by the grass.

Hours after she began her first song, the roots retreated from her, leaving her dry of mana and energy.

In such state, she dragged herself back, only to meet Candy on the way. Candy piggy-backed Senna on her back and went back to the city.

Senna smiled though.

The most hated part of her would do her, Shirou, and the clan good.

She ignored the panicked cries of the healers as the darkness took her.

"I'm just going to sleep..." she muttered quietly to the healers before falling unconscious.

She would wake up the next day as a fae.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 4 + Day 200:**

**Naruto  
[High Chief Ruto][The Impaler][King Ruto of Ironwood Clan]  
LvL 164  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker -****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 218.5(+1,000) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,760 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 2,000(1500(SGMII))  
DEX: 502  
AGI: 518  
END: 808  
INT: 317 (+3.17(MPT))(+3.17(GC))(+3.17(GP))  
WIS: 326 (+3.26(GC))****(+3.26(GP))****  
CHA: 316  
Unused Points: 128**

**Spirit: 91  
Magic: 65  
Power: 93**

**Control: 159  
**

**Fame(Prestige): +56,943.2  
Infamy: +18,059**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**, **Proud**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 10)  
Small Flaming arrow (LvL 10)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: ****  
****Aegis Shield (LvL 9)  
Berserker (LvL 11)**x  
**Burst (LvL 7)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 6)  
****Fire Magic (AVG LvL 8)- Fireball (LvL 21) - Fire Whip (LvL 6) - Fire Lance (LvL 2) - Fire Blast (LvL 3) - Rain of Fire (LvL 8)****  
Instant Dungeon Creation (LvL 9)  
Lesser Summoning (LvL 1)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 11)**x  
**Magic Penetration (LvL 1)**  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 11)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 94) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 69)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 39)  
Reinforcement (LvL 54)  
Shadow Clone (LvL 4)  
****Sonar (LvL 47)  
Time Decel (LvL 16)  
****Water Magic (AVG LvL 2) - Waterball (LvL 2)****  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 36)**x**  
Archery (LvL 48)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 27)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 36)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 43)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 71)**x**  
Charging (LvL 25)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 52) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11)) - Tailoring (Sub(LvL 4))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 41)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 42)****  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
General Chemistry (LvL 1)  
General Economics (LvL 5)  
General Mathematics (LvL 3)  
General Psychology (LvL 2)  
Grasscutting (LvL 2)  
Intimidation (LvL 53)****  
Language (LvL 10): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
****Lesser Kingship (LvL 5)****  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 6)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 7)  
Listening (LvL 41)  
****Lovemaking (LvL 26)****  
Mapping (LvL 24)  
Mining (LvL 6)  
Negotiation (LvL 22) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 17)  
Physical Durability (LvL 57)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 26)  
Riding (LvL 6)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Teaching (LvL 25)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 50)  
Trapping (LvL 53)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 82)  
**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System  
Gamers' Market  
Help Search Bar**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , **Fairies**, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **,**Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , **Lizardmen**, Earth Fairy, Orc, **Elf**, **Drakken**

**(Darkened races make up more than 5% of the total population. **Non-highlighted races make up less than 5% of the total population**)**

**Ironwood Highlander Warrior Count: **909  
**Ironwood Blue Cataclysm Mage Count**: 83  
**Ironwood Black Skull Reaper Count:** 116  
**Ironwood Green Healer Count:** 32

**Total City Population:** 13,537

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,261

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 7,977**  
regionalPower**: 7.5

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan -**Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou -**Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa -**Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golthaum** \- Dhan'Thal dwarf leader and on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.  
**Kragnok** \- Scorchscale Clan representative.

**Vassals**

**Pyrcol** \- Lower Carpathi City-States (regionalPower: 2.3)  
**Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Vyyagrin al'Shavi** \- Free Union (regionalPower: 5)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi  
**Grand Duchess Minverva Managot** of the Sarang

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 7.5)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +950 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 15)  
**Grand Duchy of Sarang +700 (Ally)** (nationalPower: 5)**  
Kingdom of Galburi -500 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 9.7)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -100 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 6.4)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Important Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set (Broken)****  
Contract Emblem for County of Upper Carpathi  
Contract Emblem for Duchy of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Western Mari  
Contract Emblem for County of Eastern Mari  
****Contract Emblem for County of Northern Dynland ****  
Vassal-Liege Contract with Free Union (Elric Brothers and al'Shavi)  
Dhan'Thal Pollodium Mail Armor Set  
Passable Hemp-Fabric Workout Outfit**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!  
****Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes + Sneak Peaks:**

*Now, many of you have been asking for a separate story for the entirety of the "stat" page, but after a long time of thinking, I decided not to. I have some reasons, but the main reason is that _it'll be fucking tidious _to separately update it. Call me petty, but it's hard enough tracking all the shit going on _in my own world of making _that I ain't gonna bother to do something like that.

Now! That doesn't mean that idea of a separate story can't be applied to other things. For example, the nations of Andalusia? You can expect those sooner or later.


	89. Chapter 89

_**Arc:  
Rounding Out**_

_**Part V - Realization**_

* * *

_**Previously on Re:Gamer...**_

_**Duchy of Kan had been sighted, and some of its men caught, raiding the border towns in Ironwood Clan's territory. In response to such blatant aggression, Ruto has declared war upon the Duchy of Kan.**_

* * *

**-w-\AvA/-w-**

* * *

Trevon b'Qo-Marshlands looked over his men.

He wanted to see brave and courageous soldiers ready to bring a rain of fire upon a tribe of monsters like their god Ankh told them to do in the holy book.

Instead, he saw shivering bastards and bitches with the paranoia of a scared child looking over their shoulders every other second. It was disgraceful.

But he couldn't help his own neck from twisting around as he glanced around.

The forest, the last barrier between their righteous army and the city of monsters, was spooky.

Scratch that, it was downright creepy as fuck.

The trees shivered, but there was no wind.

The shrubs moved, yet nothing had touched them.

Things like that.

Were there unseen enemies here, watching them?

Or was it the forest itself, trying to show Trevon its displeasure?

Whatever it was, it didn't help his soldiers' and his own morale.

"Send word to the duke and the marshall: creepy as this forest is, it's safe so far."

The messenger riding next to him saluted and trotted off.

Trevon let out a sigh filled with trepidation.

Why did he have a bad feeling about this place?

* * *

Duke Bojual nodded. "Good, good. Finally, we're getting some good news."

After the slaughter of a third of his men at the beginning of the invasion and then the destruction of the supply caravans a few days after that, the army has been suffering too much for his liking. At this rate, he wasn't sure if he could even engage in a siege upon the monster city.

He now only had three thousand troops, which was barely enough to siege any fortified city. This was an issue because from what his scouts had reported to him and his commanders, the "Ironwood City" was a heavily fortified city for one under the control of monsters.

From what the scouts reported, the city was built on top of a mountain chain, and the steep mountainside had little in the ways of roads for a large army like his to attack. There was, however, a single road that made its way right to the city's main western gate, but it was at least a three kilometer hike due to how it was built. The scouts also found what seemed to be cave-ins in tunnels on the lower valleys-.

The duke frowned and massaged his head.

He hated thinking about warfare and planning. Those were the jobs of plebeian commanders he had under his control, not him.

"Commander Gohlman!"

A soldier dressed in heavy knight's armor and a hawk helmet walked up to the duke's side and bowed. "Duke Bojual, I'm here to receive orders, sir."

He nodded in acknowledgement. "I am putting you in charge of the siege on this monster city," he declared. "If you manage to succeed in smashing through their defenses and looting the entire city within a week, you will have fifty percent more loot granted to you. Can you do this for me?"

The knight straightened up. "Of course, my lord. I shall have this city under your heels by the end of a week!" he loudly promised.

The duke grinned. "Good, good. Now, I'll retire to my tent. Bring me a few slave girls to have fun with, will you?"

* * *

Senna opened her eyes.

They were coming.

She bolted up from her bed, much to the surprise of the "handmaidens" -they were really some of the denizens of the city who wanted to serve her calling themselves that. She grimaced before frowning.

Her back felt different. She looked over her shoulder, and her eyes widened as she discovered that ... she had two pairs of thin near insect-like wings. Instinctively, she flapped them once and then twice.

'I evolved?' she thought to herself.

"Someone please tell me that Lady Senna is awake!" someone shouted from the halls as they grew closer to her room.

Where was she again?

She looked around. 'Oh right. This is the new palace wing,' she thought to herself.

Then the doors to her room slammed open.

"The enemy is at the lower v-"

Without warning, and to her own surprise, Senna swiped at the air towards the direction of the door and the intruder. A wave of dark energy sprung forth and struck whoever had intruded. The force of the strike flung the intruder across the hallway until they struck the bottom end of the hallway wall on the other side of her room's doors.

"Do not," she hissed. "Come in without knocking!"

Again, this was to her own surprise as well. Since when did she care so much about privacy?

"O-of course, my lady!" the intruder stuttered.

"Now speak. You must've had something urgent to talk about," she drawled as she rose up from the bed. She looked over herself.

She still wore the same clothes as last night, so there was nothing wrong with them. The back of her clothes had always been a little open, which had allowed for her new wings to not be constricted.

On the other hand, her skin had changed color. What was once earthen peach had changed to a more bluish peach.

This along with her wings, her new behavior, cemented within her mind the earlier conclusion that she had evolved. But what had she evolved to? Perhaps she would ask Ruto later.

"-the forest. We weren't expecting them this early, so our supplies aren't completely stocked up, ma'am."

"I know, I know," she replied. "Leave us."

The messenger bowed before scuttling away.

"Lady Senna, is something ... wrong?" one of the "handmaidens" asked.

Senna frowned.

Yes, was something wrong? There was no need for herself to be so harsh and dismissive to the messenger.

...If this was the result of her evolution, there was going to be some issues.

"No, I'm fine. I think it's my new evolution acting up," she replied. "Those who are willing, I will be going to the wall. I certainly don't want to miss out on the show."

As she left the room, she _felt _the movements behind her. This was a new experience.

Then two girls joined her. A human and a draenei.

"Tell me, girls," she spoke as they left the new palace wing and out onto the street. "How do I look?"

A pause. The human girl was the first to speak. "My lady, I know you are beautiful."

Senna sighed. "I asked how, not what, dearie."

Hell, she had changed a lot, didn't she? These words just flowed out of her without pause or filter.

Not that she car- see!

This was gonna be a pain in the ass.

She sighed again. "Never mind, girls," she said.

Then she turned her attention inwards even as she walked.

Within her, she found a well of mana that was significantly bigger than what it was before. But instead of awe, she only felt ... satisfaction. Like as if this was what she should have. If she had any less than what she had now, she would be mad.

Did her evolution make her arrogant as well?

Concerning. Just a bit.

As she moved out into the streets, she was greeted by her people.

They bowed to her and praised her.

And she loved it.

'Perhaps some changes aren't so bad,' she thought to herself.

Then it ended a bit too soon, and found herself on the walls.

She walked up the stairs near the main gate, and soon, she was on the battlements. She found that Iskan and Candy were there already.

It was Candy, though, that got her attention. She ran up to her and hugged her before removing herself at arm's length. "You evolved!" she grinned.

Senna grinned right back. "I did. Look at my wings!" she said and fluttered the four insect-like wings. Unlike the wings of tiny wasps, bees, or grasshoppers -even the giant variety often seen in the valleys-, her wings possessed serrated edges to them. Instead of the wings being clear, they were bluish, like her skin.

"Ho? Does this mean you can fly now?"

"Probably with a little bit of help from magic, yeah," Senna grinned. Then her grin gave away to a serious and somber stare. "The enemies?"

Candy shrugged. "I don't know what you did to the forest. They feel wrong, and they are in the middle of it."

"Has anything happened?"

"No," Iskan responded with a grunt.

Senna's grin split her face in two. "Good, good. The show hasn't begun."

"...Show?"

* * *

Trevon let out a roar of surprise when his foot missed its footing, and he fell forward, landing face first into the ground. He groaned as he pushed himself back up even as others behind him told him to move faster.

'Why did I just fall there?' he thought to himself as he looked down.

He frowned at what he saw. There was a tree root where he hadn't seen one before; he had just looked down not too long ago in search of such things so he wouldn't fall. So why did a tree root thick as his own leg suddenly just ap-

"Oof!"

He looked to his right where another soldier fell face first. This clumsy man's comrades laughed at his misfortune, though, which the fallen man replied with few select cuss.

Trevon felt a shiver race up his spine.

"You!" he shouted at the soldier who fell. The man straightened up in fear of being reprimanded, and stuttered. Trevon didn't care about him falling though. "Did you just fall because a random tree root appeared out of nowhere?!" he asked hastily. The soldier blinked before nodding slowly, as if he was confused and awed by the question.

But Trevon was shaking now.

He was no commoner. He was a noble. A minor noble from a minor house, but a educated noble who stood above the rest of the commoners, even if he associated more with them than the nobles he was supposed to be part of. He read books about all kinds of races because he had -in his youth- wanted a harem. He had become especially enamored with the idea of taking on an earth elemental as his wife.

Of course, these days, he was just trying to make his needs and ends meet. But his knowledge about each of the races he had read did not fade with time.

A forest that moves near a monster city?

An earth elemental or Greater Fairy.

This entire forest was a bloody trap, and his liege and army were completely surrounded by the forest.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE FOREST!"

Too late.

* * *

As if activated by one soldier's desperate call to save his comrades, the trees roared in unison as teeth, eyes, pus, and blood popped out of them where none had existed before.

Winston Yuuma, the chief magician of Duke Bojual's court, froze at the sight of these trees that began to raise its roots and branches to strike.

This was an eldritch forest.

A real, goddamn eldritch forest that he only ever got to read about.

"My lord, you must flee from this forest!" he whipped around and warned his duke.

The duke just stared out in awe and fear.

"H-W-What-?!" he stammered.

And that was the end of his duke. A tree branch rose up behind him and skewered the man through his brain.

And just like that, the entirety of the Duke Bojual's army fell apart at the hands of the eldritch forest.

* * *

Senna chuckled darkly as she and the rest of the city looked upon the forest below them from where the screams of the damned were made.

"Ooohh, yes," she muttered to herself. "I was wondering when they were going to trip it."

"Uh... Senna, what did you do?" Candy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"..." Senna shrugged before subtly taking Candy's hand and walking away from the crowd, most of whom giddily watched the invaders be felled by trees of all things. "Candy, did you know that I had a very deep darkness within me?" she asked her friend.

To her surprise, Candy hesitantly nodded once. "It was hard to detect, but I did sense it."

Senna looked at her friend. "And you didn't distrust me even after that?"

Candy deadpanned at her. "Senna, you're one of the kindest people I know. Even if you had a bad past or something twisted, your kindness doesn't change. You're also my first friend. I trust you."

Senna looked at the raven-haired Phased before she smiled. "Thank you."

She just scoffed. "Senna, you're weird."

"As are you."

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 210:**

I skidded to a stop atop a cliff and looked down at the valley below me and my city across it.

Where were the enemy-?

Ping!

**[Report of Massacre of the Yakal River Valley**  
**Your Participants: 1**  
**Enemy Participants: 2,804**

**National Prestige Gain: [2783*0.1 (common soldier killed) + 14*100 (middle level commanders killed) + 1*200(c-rankers killed) + 4*500 (B-rankers killed) + 1*1,000 (enemy chief commander killed)]/2 = 4878.3**

**Achievement Gain:**  
**Held Our Ground!**  
**Fae for your Friend**  
**A Great Trap**  
**Eldritch Magic at Your Fingertips**

**Senna's Gain:  
4878.3 Prestige Gain  
Contract Emblem for County of Jam (Right of Conquest)  
Contract Emblem for County of Plindan]**

My shoulder sagged in relief and a bit of confusion.

Senna did this...?

"King Ruto!"

I looked over my shoulder, and found a squad of recruitee Highlanders. From the look of their armor and backpack, they were training for wildlife survival.

"...What happened here?"

The Highlanders grinned. "Oh, chief, you should've been here, mon," the troll of the squad chuckled. "Those Bojual bastards got their ass handed to them at the Sennian Forest."

I blinked. "Sennian Forest?"

Ping!

**[Location Discovered: Sennian Forest!]**

**[Sennian Forest**  
**Desc: This forest is the second to last line of defense against invaders for the Ironwood Clan and Ironwood City. Given sentient life with "World's Evil" by Senna Emiya, this forest will ensure that no enemy will approach the Ironwood City.]**

I blinked.

My people were ... able to defend themselves without me.

A silent grin stretched across my face.

"Come! I want to see how strong my people were in this invasion!" I laughed cheerfully as I happily made my way back home.

Of course, I didn't know that there was a huge surprise waiting for me there, but still.

* * *

**Interesting News from Around the World**  
**Ruto's Year 4 + Day 215:**

*Duke Bojual's untimely demise at the hands of the Ironwood Clan resulted in the lost of half of his territory as per the Right of Conquest, which is a system engraved upon the world as leyline penetrating thaumaturgy involved in the Contract Emblems. By the magic decreed by the creators of the Contract Emblem and the Right of Conquest, the House of Emiya is recognized by the royalties around the world as a True Noble House.

*It is rumored that the Ironwood Clan and the Duchy of Kan are in peace negotiations.

*The Kingdom of Caladria and the Quel'Vessus Union entered into a lord-vassal feudal contract.

*Because she was bored, Grand Duchess Managot went and conquered northwestern coast of former Canterrius Empire.

* * *

**Article: Effect of Contract Emblems Upon the World**  
**Author: Rev vonde Ursulam  
****Editor: King Lelouch vi Britannia****  
**

**Location: The Grand Library of Caladria**

Chapter 1: Summary of Contract Emblems

Contract Emblems are relics of the First Gods. Whether these First Gods were immortal or mortal, their impact upon today's world is clear for all to see. The Contract Emblems are as much a contract and physical thing as it is spiritual and magical. When the First Gods designed the Contract Emblem, they embedded the very existence of the said items into the magical laws of the world.

The Contract Emblem serves as magical proof and authority within its designated land. This means that the holder of the Contract Emblem is given the right to rule and the responsibility for those on the land. This rule extends to those he considers "worthy" or if the holder has a liege, who the liege considers "worthy." The definition of "worthy" varies between people, which is the reason why the Contract Emblem does not punish slavers or rapists; if the Contract Emblem holder believes that some people can be enslaved, the land and magic will not harm him or his laws.

However, Contract Emblems can be subjected to "greater laws." These greater laws may be but not limited to authority of deity, greater contract emblem, most prevalent ideals of the land, and tradition. A deity may force a land to obey its will, in which case, the Contract Emblem changes its owner's responsibilities to meet the deity's expectations. This is just one example of what can affect a Contract Emblem.

The holders of emblems are given responsibilities by the emblems themselves. These responsibilities vary. The Contract Emblem for the Volreek Empire is known to hold its holder responsible for further advancements of magic, meritocracy, and crime. On the other hand, the Contract Emblem for the Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire holds its owner responsible for regular raiding of neighbors, improvement of military might, and conquest through might.

Usually, responsibilities are limited to a total of three. Exceptions will be discussed at the end. These responsibilities are the absolute minimum that a holder must do to maintain the ownership of the emblem legally and magically. Neglecting any of them results in the loss of one of the authorities, or "rights," that the emblems gives.

Using the same examples, the Volreek emblem gives it owner these rights: the right to force the world to cleanse tainted magic, the right to enslave anyone, and the right to any number of spouses, regardless of will, race, and sexual orientation. The Yoal-Cohkman emblem reserves its owner the right to half of any loot taken by those under his rule, the right to destroy any settlement, and the right to half of the land conquered.

Of course, the power of these "rights" are also dependent on the ranking of the emblem in question. Ranking is similar to the ranking of nations. Barony is the lowest emblem, and Empire is the highest emblem.

Also, emblems update their rights and responsibilities. The time for the update differs. A baron's emblem updates every five years, or five years after ownership changes. A king's emblem updates every fifty years, and an empire's emblem changes every century. This is generally what happens.

This is where a lot of emblems differ. Some emblems immediately give an update after ownership change while some sit and do nothing for a century. So unless the emperor is of a long living race, he can forget about using the emblem.

How do the regular people fit in to this picture of owners and emblems?

Settling in a land is tantamount to acknowledging the emblem holder's right to rule and the holder's responsibility to the settler. This is a magical feudal bond that no one can avoid if they wish to settle even semi-permanently. If the holder neglects one of the responsibilities, then the settlers/denizens/citizens are given an option to rebel. If there is a rebellion when the emblem has given a green light, then the emblem locks itself up for the duration of the rebellion.

However, if someone rebels when all responsibilities of the emblem are met, then they suffer magical backfire. This backfire can have a lot of different reaction. It may be instant death. It may be that they are forever exiled from the land that they rebelled, which ends of the rebellion immediately. Some emblems are known to put rebels under constant torture until they leave the land.

Addendum by LVB  
Recent events in central Tesbalta have enlightened me. The Kingdom of Galburia apparently had three responsibilities: do not lose a war against a rival, enslave all non-worshipers of Ankh, and regularly bring in foreign influx of slaves, however small. Th first of these was the reason why all of the unhappy nobles of the Kingdom of Galburia were able to rebel; the loss of the Shkifield meant a green light for rebellion for all unhappy nobles. Apparently, preparing for rebellion does not count as being in rebellion.

Chapter 2: Creations, Influence, and Powers...

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 4 + Day 215:**

**Naruto  
[High Chief Ruto][The Impaler][King Ruto of Ironwood Clan]  
LvL 164  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker -****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 218.5(+1,000) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,760 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 2,000(1500(SGMII))  
DEX: 502  
AGI: 646  
END: 808  
INT: 317 (+3.17(MPT))(+3.17(GC))(+3.17(GP))  
WIS: 326 (+3.26(GC))****(+3.26(GP))****  
CHA: 316  
Unused Points: 0**

**Spirit: 91  
Magic: 65  
Power: 93**

**Control: 159  
**

**Fame(Prestige): +56,943.2  
Infamy: +18,059**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**, **Proud**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 10)  
Small Flaming arrow (LvL 10)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: ****  
****Aegis Shield (LvL 9)  
Berserker (LvL 11)**x  
**Burst (LvL 7)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 6)  
****Fire Magic (AVG LvL 8)- Fireball (LvL 21) - Fire Whip (LvL 6) - Fire Lance (LvL 2) - Fire Blast (LvL 3) - Rain of Fire (LvL 8)****  
Instant Dungeon Creation (LvL 9)  
Lesser Summoning (LvL 1)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 11)**x  
**Magic Penetration (LvL 1)**  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 11)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 94) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 69)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 39)  
Reinforcement (LvL 54)  
Shadow Clone (LvL 4)  
****Sonar (LvL 47)  
Time Decel (LvL 16)  
****Water Magic (AVG LvL 2) - Waterball (LvL 2)****  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 36)**x**  
Archery (LvL 48)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 27)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 36)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 43)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 71)**x**  
Charging (LvL 25)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 52) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11)) - Tailoring (Sub(LvL 4))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 41)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 42)****  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
General Chemistry (LvL 1)  
General Economics (LvL 5)  
General Mathematics (LvL 3)  
General Psychology (LvL 2)  
Grasscutting (LvL 2)  
Intimidation (LvL 53)****  
Language (LvL 10): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
****Lesser Kingship (LvL 5)****  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 6)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 7)  
Listening (LvL 41)  
****Lovemaking (LvL 26)****  
Mapping (LvL 24)  
Mining (LvL 6)  
Negotiation (LvL 22) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 17)  
Physical Durability (LvL 57)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 26)  
Riding (LvL 6)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Teaching (LvL 25)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 50)  
Trapping (LvL 53)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 82)  
**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System  
Gamers' Market  
Help Search Bar**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , **Fairies**, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **,**Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , **Lizardmen**, Earth Fairy, Orc, **Elf**, **Drakken**

**(Darkened races make up more than 5% of the total population. **Non-highlighted races make up less than 5% of the total population**)**

**Ironwood Highlander Warrior Count: **909  
**Ironwood Blue Cataclysm Mage Count**: 83  
**Ironwood Black Skull Reaper Count:** 116  
**Ironwood Green Healer Count:** 32

**Total City Population:** 13,590

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,261

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 10,416**  
regionalPower**: 8.2

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan -**Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou -**Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa -**Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golthaum** \- Dhan'Thal dwarf leader and on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.  
**Kragnok** \- Scorchscale Clan representative.

**Vassals**

**Pyrcol** \- Lower Carpathi City-States (regionalPower: 2.6)  
**Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Vyyagrin al'Shavi** \- Free Union (regionalPower: 5.3)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi  
**Grand Duchess Minverva Managot** of the Sarang

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 7.5)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +950 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 15)  
**Grand Duchy of Sarang +700 (Ally)** (nationalPower: 5)**  
Kingdom of Galburi -500 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 9.7)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -100 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 6.4)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Important Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set (Broken)****  
Contract Emblem for County of Upper Carpathi  
Contract Emblem for Duchy of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Western Mari  
Contract Emblem for County of Eastern Mari  
****Contract Emblem for County of Northern Dynland ****  
Vassal-Liege Contract with Free Union (Elric Brothers and al'Shavi)  
Dhan'Thal Pollodium Mail Armor Set  
Passable Hemp-Fabric Workout Outfit**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!  
****Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes + Sneak Peaks:**

*Reason Ruto no longer uses his Peacemaker much is because by my calculation, due to his high LvL of Unarmed Combat -which is higher than his Blunt Weapon Master-, Ruto does more damage with his fists than his hammer.


	90. Chapter 90

**Read the ANs for this chapter.**

* * *

_**Arc:**_

_**Rounding Out**_

_**Part VI - The End of the War**_

* * *

_**Previously on Re:Gamer...**_

_**Duchy of Kan had been sighted, and some of its men caught, raiding the border towns in Ironwood Clan's territory. In response to such blatant aggression, Ruto has declared war upon the Duchy of Kan.**_

* * *

**-w-\AvA/-w-**

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 214:**

"And you are...?"

Mere days after I arrived, my scouts spotted a contingent of Kanians on horseback, making their way slowly towards my city. They were comprised of less than a two dozen riders, and the one in the front was dressed in what was obviously a noble's clothes.

He was an elderly man by the looks of it, and he looked to be deeply trained in what I assumed he was.

He got off his horse and bowed. "I greet the King Ruto of the Ironwood Clan. I am Harsissus of the House of Nobles," he introduced himself. "I've been sent by the Duke of Kan to negotiate a peace treaty on his behalf."

I scoffed. "You realize that this is a war that he started, right?"

He nodded. "I know this well. It was after all, my house that was struck the hardest."

"Wenrilius was yours?"

He nodded. "You also hold my daughter, granddaughters, and grandson as hostage."

I tilted my head. "I do?" I asked incredulously. I don't recall exactly holding anyone hostage. Well, technically speaking, I was holding the entire city and its people hostage due to my being at war with Duchy of Kan, but the mayor of Wenrilius had handed over the Contract Emblem for the Barony of Wenrilius to me to swear allegiance. He was holding it now, but instead of the Duke of Kan, the Contract Emblem for Barony of Wenrilius answered to the Contract Emblem for County of Upper Carpathi, which was my "primary" contract emblem.

"Well, I am sorry you had to -and still do- suffer because your duke decided he could raid my border without consequences," I jabbed at his liege. "And unfortunately, Wenrilius will not be going back to the Duchy of Kan under any circumstances," I said. "Its ruler has already sworn allegiance to me."

Harsissus' face grew pale then puce.

"Yes, that is very ... unfortunate," he acknowledged. "But I come in on behalf of my duke. My personal assets can be discussed later."

"If you wish," I replied. "Come! Let's first celebrate this hand of apology that your duke is extending!"

* * *

We planned the feast to be held within the new palace wing's dining hall. Men and women, regardless of wealth, were allowed in as long as they were dressed for the occasion, which was really just being clean with a set of clothes that weren't work clothes.

Even the escort guards of the diplomat were encouraged to join in, which they did reluctantly.

As honey, wine, and meat flowed into the dining hall, I discreetly used [Observe] on the man.

**[Harsissus Noble**  
**Head of the Noble Family**  
**Count of Ria**  
**Chancellor of the Duchy of Kan**

**Age: 61  
Race: Pure Human**  
**Religion: Christian**

**HP: 170**  
**MP: 308**

**STR: 110**  
**END: 166**  
**AGI: 135**  
**DEX: 217**  
**INT: 322**  
**WIS: 560**  
**CHA: 104**

**Traits:**  
**Strong, Cunning, Polite, Just, Loyal, Heavy Infantry Commander, Pious]**

'Overall, a good man. Extremely good man if his WIS and INT are taken into account. Also physically superb. At his age, humans are dying and whatnot, but he's extremely agile,' I thought to myself. "So what do you think of my city, Sir Noble?" I asked him.

The old man gave me a stare before he looked around. "I believe your city is what my God would have wanted."

I blinked. "Sorry?"

"From what I saw, there were very little in the ways of prejudice here from anyone nor was this city decadent in any significant way," he told me honestly. "My spiritual lord and savior, Jesus Christ, would have loved to have this city know him better."

"Who is this 'Jesus Christ?'" I asked him.

There was a pause. "Child of the creator who died for our sins."

"A martyr?"

"In a way, yes. You see, the creator, Yaweh, as he is called by us, has deemed us sinful, and thus could not keep us by his side. So he sent his one and only son to die for our sins so that we may join him in heaven. That only believing in the act of his son's martyrdom grants us the right to join him after we pass into the afterlife."

"Sounds like a decent god. The only god I've met so far is a douche," I replied. "And considering that the only other god I've heard before yours wants to devour the souls of the regular people, I don't have a high opinion of them."

He laughed. "Yes. The gods of these lands are not very generous nor kind. But my Lord stands above them all, because he is a god that existed before time and will exist after time disappears."

"My lords," a human server came up to us. "What drinks would you like?"

Setting aside the religious talk, this was one of the cultural aspects of my people. It seemed that due to the number of variety and number of feasts that we held, servers were to ask people what they wanted. Kind of neat.

"I'll have cold Pset wine," I replied.

"What drinks are there that you ask us this?" Harsissus asked the server.

The server smiled. "We have more than two dozen drinks, including water, orange juice, and beer. Would you like a complete list?" she asked.

"If you are fine with it, yes, miss."

The server pulled out small paper from her backpocket and handed it over to Harsissus using both of her hands as a sign of respect. "Here you go, sir."

I nodded to her. She was doing her job well.

"Thank you," the diplomat replied. "...My. Your city has a lot of drinks."

"Yeah. I never noticed it until a few months ago. I thought there was only the Pset wine, water, milk, and mineral water available until then."

After a moment of looking at the menu of drinks, Harsissus handed the paper back to the server. "I'll have this mineral water. I do not believe beer or wine is good for this frail body of mine."

'Frail, my ass,' I thought to myself.

The server quarter-bowed and left us.

"...Once the war is over, I think I'll bring my family here for a vacation. I think it'll do my grandchildren and children good."

"I'm happy to hear that my city holds such attractive value," I replied honestly. "Personally, I think there's still a lot of things that could be fixed."

And what I said was also true. I knew that the refugees on the northern border of the city were creating a bit of an unrest while the merchants were constantly trying to haggle with Senna and the administration. I also know that the Highlanders were getting extremely uppity about their service to me and are looking down at the commoners and other orders.

"And that makes you a good ruler, your highness," he replied. "You want to improve them. My liege has ... little interest in such things. I wish I had taught him better."

"You taught him?"

"Aye, sir. His father had squired him to myself along with two others from other houses, but alas, I failed my liege's father. I wasn't able to pull that stupidity out of him."

I raised an eyebrow. "You are brutally forward about your liege," I said, stressing the liege part.

"Do you care?"

I shrugged. "No, no. I was just surprised. Most of the established hierarchies put overly high emphasis on political correctness, so I assume you would too. After all, you are a diplomat."

The man laughed. "Aye, diplomats are supposed to be such. Unfortunately for my liege, I was chosen because he had no one else to send," he replied.

"What do you mean?"

"I assume you have heard about a civil war among ourselves?"

I nodded.

"Then you also know that we lost."

I nodded again.

"Most of the nobles sided with this new Bamis Primacy and left our court. There were perhaps four landed nobles in my liege's court. Among them, I simply happened to be the best."

"I see. Again, you are brutally honest."

"You already knew this, as I had expected you to. I saw no need to dance around it."

"Straightforward."

"Aye."

"Well then, let's enjoy this feast before the inevitable unpleasant business of your duchy's surrender."

"...Of course."

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 220:**

Surprisingly, the negotiations took several days. Despite being straightforward and honest to the point of being absurd, Harsissus Noble was a crafty noble and elite. Even as he negotiated the peace treaty and the surrender of the Duchy of Kan to myself, he maneuvered the negotiations towards his side until I put a stop to it.

This was the end result of the peace treaty.

**Peace Treaty between Ironwood King and the Duke of Kan (Y4D171)**

**1\. This peace treaty acknowledges that the Ironwood Clan and its king have conquered the entirety of the Duchy of Kan in a defensive war.**

**2\. This peace treaty acknowledges the authority of the Ironwood Clan over the states and the noble houses that was under the Duchy of Kan.**

**3\. Peace will exist between the House of Kan and the House of Ruto. No executions are necessary, but Duke Enam Kan will abdicate from his position to his heir.**

**4\. House of Kan will pay reparations for the next decade, submitting to the Ironwood Clan a thousand gold coins each year.**

**5\. All laws of the Ironwood Clan will apply to the lands of the Duchy of Kan.**

**6\. All slaves will be emancipated. Housing and food will be provided by the former owners of the slaves until representatives of the Ironwood Administratum can come by to pick up the ex-slaves.**

**7\. Wenrilius will remain a city-state under the rule of Ironwood King until he deems otherwise.**

**8\. Worship of God Ankh is forbidden as per the laws of Ironwood Clan. The soul-sucking fucker will receive no worship from those on Ironwood Clan lands.**

**9\. Any religion requiring life sacrifice of sentient creature is hereby forbidden.**

Surprisingly, the last two was not really what I wanted to stress. Those were Harsissus's idea. He was extremely against blood worship, apparently. He blatantly admitted to me that he wanted to use this peace treaty to ban those religions because not only did they persecute his Christians, they made a point of use Christian in their sacrificial rituals.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 221:**

"Leaving so soon?" I asked Harsissus.

"I must. I know that my messenger must have reached the duke, or is it former duke, by now, but I do not want to leave the affairs of the Duchy of Kan to retards."

I scoffed. "Well, I wish you luck then."

He bowed. "Then I must go, Your Majesty. I have a territory to govern."

I extended my hand as he straightened up. "Until next time."

He blinked before smiling. "Aye, sir," he said as he clasped by hand and shook it firmly. Then he let go and departed from my city.

I then turned around as one of the cashiers from the Administratum came up to me with a bill.

"...300 gold? Are you serious? He was only here for a week."

Senna laughed as she approached me with Candy. "That's what you get for eating half of the feast's worth of food, Ruto," she chided. "You were very hungry, weren't you, boy?"

I mock-glared at her. "I didn't eat _that _much..."

Candy raised an eyebrow. "Really, honey? I saw you devour more than your own weight most of the time."

"...I did?"

The two women laughed as they went off.

Ping!

**[Ironwood War to Subjugate Duchy of Kan**  
**Victory!**

**Total Casualties:**  
***-659 Ironwood Clan**  
***-4,811 Duchy of Kan**

**Reward:**  
***-10% Diplomatic Relationship Improvement for next 12 months**  
***+10% Aggressive Expansion for next 12 months**  
***-10% Deterence for next 12 months**  
***Vassalization and integration of the Duchy of Kan into Ironwood Clan**  
***International recognition of the Ironwood Clan as a Kingdom.**  
***+2,000 Prestige**  
***+2,000 National Prestige**  
***+100 Infamy**

**Reward(Red War God):**  
***+100 INT**  
***+100 WIS  
*+50 CHA]**

Another victorious war for myself. No physical stat boosting though, this time. Odd.

... Now, I was gonna go and take a nap. It's been a tiring week verbally sparring with Harsissus.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 240:**

With the war over, I recalled all of the soldiers who were out in the field. The levies were paid for their effort in the war, which was about thirty silver coins per levy, and the members of the Three Orders were given based on how much they had participated. And due to this war having been my call to declare war, the cost was coming out of my personal pockets rather than the clan's funds. I didn't mind -as I hadn't mind when Kragnok suggested this law a year back- because despite having cost me 1451 gold coins, I could always earn more by grinding through the Dhan'Thal Mine Dungeons.

Unfortunately, Shirou was not recalled because his efforts in the west was not part of the Ironwood-Kanian war. The invaders and raiders there were Galburian, after all. I did, however, tell him through a letter that Iskan and Juras Managot was always available to replace him for months at a time if he wanted to take some time off.

And as for myself? What did I do now that the war was over?

I should be preparing for the next one that Galburia wanted to declare on me, right?

Well...

"Honey, can you get me that ice cream from downtown?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Honey, can you give me a shoulder massage?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Honey, I'm hungry. Cook for me."

"Of course, dear."

I was now busy with being my wife's handyman.

Unlike rest of the races whose pregnancy had a set average time, Phased did not have such a thing.

**[Candy**  
**LvL 119**

**Race: Phased/Succubus**

**HP: 281 **  
**MP: 133**

**STR: 246 **  
**END: 190 **  
**DEX: 601 **  
**AGI: 439 **  
**INT: 193 **  
**WIS: 347 **  
**CHA: 135**

**Power: 34**  
**Spirit: 42 **  
**Magic: 33**

**Traits:**  
**Attractive, Quick, Love(Ruto), Vicious, Strong, Diligent, Lustful, Zealous, Ever-Tired, Pregnant[Late Stage]]**

Their pregnancy was dependent on how much power and how fast they were delivering to their children within them.

Yes, children.

This was why despite having risen nearly twenty times in LvLs, her stats did not improve to reflect it. She was pouring everything she had earned in the last few months into our babies.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 247:**

Senna assigned two trusted "handmaidens" to Candy, and told me to prepare the troops and the city for the next war. Candy wasn't happy, I wasn't happy, but we obliged.

I sat out in one of the training fields I had booked, and opened up the [Quest: Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola!].

**[Quest: Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola!**

**Description: Galburia's nobles and kings have always worshiped the Slave God Ank. You who has brought upon them the wrath of the Red War God and stolen their territory is an enemy of Slave God Ank. King of Galburia and his Ank worshiping nobles are now preparing for a Crusade against the Ironwood Clan and their allies. Fortunately for you, Slave God Ank demands a long preparation time for any holy wars made in his name. You have five years.**

**Requirement:**  
**1*Match the number of S-rankers Kingdom of Galburia is going to employ (#: 6/25)  
Or  
2*Match the number of S-rankers Kingdom of Galburia is going to employ with A-rankers (#: 36/100)**

**Optional Requirement:**  
**1*Save up 1,000 Gold Coins**  
**2*Build up levy size to 10,000**

**Reward:**  
**Req*+10 LvLs**  
**Req*+10 HP to all fighters under Ironwood Clan for 12 months**  
**ORq1*+1,000 Gold Coins**  
**ORq2*+100% Levy morale for 12 months**

**Failure:**  
**Req*-10% morale to all fighters under Ironwood Clan for 12 months]**

As I saw it, I had either 19 S-rankers to train or 64 A-rankers to train.

I had a lot of work laid out before me to complete within 3 years and 271 days.

* * *

**-AvA-**

* * *

**Interesting News Around the World**  
**Ruto's Year 4 + Day 240:**

*Akaogi-Min continues its slow yet successful conquest south.

*Kingdom of Caladria declared war upon the Kingdom of Neutonia for breaking the peace treaty, which clearly stated "no funding pirates." Due to their lack of time to rebuild their forces, the Kingdom of Neutonia capitulated immediately rather than face a humiliating occupation. King Lelouch vi Britannia split the Kingdom of Neutonia into three states and vassalized them all against the protest of non-allied neighboring countries.

*County of Ahmzahn declared itself a vassal of Republic of London, and was absorbed into it.

* * *

**Race Summaries:**  
**From the Official Imperial Encyclopedia of the Volreek Empire**  
**Authored by Andrews Maulta, Soman Yun, Tobol Weisstein**  
**Part 6**  
_(Chapter 35 has Part 1, and you should read this if you have not done so)_

**Bullywug:**  
According to their legend, bullywugs were born of the "night swamp blood god" who created the bullywugs and demanded that they bring him gifts and sacrifices. They are a people who delight in vigorous activities, whether this is raiding, exercising, or sex. On average, bullywugs were 1.3 meters high regardless of gender.  
They are a True Race, but are also considered to be a monster race due to their ability to evolve into many different creatures and their lack of civility when it comes to talking with other races.  
Racial Trait: **[Swamp Skin]**  
Their average lifespan is 40 years.

**Naga:**  
One of the end evolutions and a True Race, each Naga is an extremely powerful speciemen. The men of the race are known for their serpentine jaws that locks down with the force of a sledgehammer and skeletal muscle structure that makes the though common soldiers green with envy. The women of the race are known for their physical beauty and intellect. Unfortunately, their race as a whole do not like dry land, and are actually prone to _death _if taken there unwillingly. Swamps are perfectly fine to them.  
Their race, however, is a bit of a mystery. No one knows where they came from.  
Average male is around 2 meters tall and average female is 1.7 meters tall.  
Racial Trait:** [Ocean's Children]**  
Their average lifespan is 270 years old.

**Undead:**  
There are many debates about the true nature of the Undeads. Some claim that they are a race of their own, while there are others who refute this on the grounds that most undeads are creatures manufactured by necromancy.  
Racial Trait: **[Unlife]**  
They are already dead things.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 4 + Day 215:**

**Naruto  
[High Chief Ruto][The Impaler][King Ruto of Ironwood Clan]  
LvL 164  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker -****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 218.5(+1,000) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,760 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 2,000(1500(SGMII))  
DEX: 502  
AGI: 646  
END: 808  
INT: 417 (+4.17(MPT))(+4.17(GC))(+4.17(GP))  
WIS: 426 (+4.26(GC))****(+4.26(GP))****  
CHA: 366  
Unused Points: 0**

**Spirit: 91  
Magic: 65  
Power: 93**

**Control: 159  
**

**Fame(Prestige): +58,943.2  
Infamy: +18,159**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**, **Proud**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 10)  
Small Flaming arrow (LvL 10)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: ****  
****Aegis Shield (LvL 9)  
Berserker (LvL 11)**x  
**Burst (LvL 7)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 6)  
****Fire Magic (AVG LvL 8)- Fireball (LvL 21) - Fire Whip (LvL 6) - Fire Lance (LvL 2) - Fire Blast (LvL 3) - Rain of Fire (LvL 8)****  
Instant Dungeon Creation (LvL 9)  
Lesser Summoning (LvL 1)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 11)**x  
**Magic Penetration (LvL 1)**  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 11)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 94) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 69)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 39)  
Reinforcement (LvL 54)  
Shadow Clone (LvL 4)  
****Sonar (LvL 47)  
Time Decel (LvL 16)  
****Water Magic (AVG LvL 2) - Waterball (LvL 2)****  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 36)**x**  
Archery (LvL 48)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 27)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 36)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 43)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 71)**x**  
Charging (LvL 25)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 52) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11)) - Tailoring (Sub(LvL 4))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 41)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 42)****  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
General Chemistry (LvL 1)  
General Economics (LvL 5)  
General Mathematics (LvL 3)  
General Psychology (LvL 2)  
Grasscutting (LvL 2)  
Intimidation (LvL 53)****  
Language (LvL 10): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
****Lesser Kingship (LvL 5)****  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 6)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 7)  
Listening (LvL 41)  
****Lovemaking (LvL 26)****  
Mapping (LvL 24)  
Mining (LvL 6)  
Negotiation (LvL 22) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 17)  
Physical Durability (LvL 57)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 26)  
Riding (LvL 6)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Teaching (LvL 25)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 50)  
Trapping (LvL 53)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 82)  
**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System  
Gamers' Market  
Help Search Bar**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , **Fairies**, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **,**Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** ,**Lizardmen**, Earth Fairy, Orc, **Elf**, **Drakken**

**(Darkened races make up more than 5% of the total population. **Non-highlighted races make up less than 5% of the total population**)**

**Ironwood Highlander Warrior Count: **909  
**Ironwood Blue Cataclysm Mage Count**: 83  
**Ironwood Black Skull Reaper Count:** 116  
**Ironwood Green Healer Count:** 32

**Total City Population:** 13,590

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,261

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 3,416**  
regionalPower**: 8.2

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan -**Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou -**Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa -**Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golthaum** \- Dhan'Thal dwarf leader and on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.  
**Kragnok** \- Scorchscale Clan representative.

**Vassals**

**Pyrcol** \- Lower Carpathi City-States (regionalPower: 2.6)  
**Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Vyyagrin al'Shavi** \- Free Union (regionalPower: 5.3)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi  
**Grand Duchess Minverva Managot** of the Sarang

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 7.5)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +950 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 15)  
**Grand Duchy of Sarang +700 (Ally)** (nationalPower: 5)**  
Kingdom of Galburi -500 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 9.7)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -100 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 6.4)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Important Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set (Broken)****  
Contract Emblem for County of Upper Carpathi  
Contract Emblem for Duchy of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Western Mari  
Contract Emblem for County of Eastern Mari  
****Contract Emblem for County of Northern Dynland ****  
Vassal-Liege Contract with Free Union (Elric Brothers and al'Shavi)  
Dhan'Thal Pollodium Mail Armor Set  
Passable Hemp-Fabric Workout Outfit**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!  
****Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes + Sneak Peaks:**

***Vallavarayan chapter 66 . Jul 17  
Why did he not take the s ranked and start a school in his city? And allow Christopher to send his people to his school to learn...?**  
Because he didn't. He knew that Christopher was looking to establish a mage community of his own, and Ruto didn't need one (at the moment). So instead of keeping her for himself, he sent her to Christopher as a gift to a friend. While Ruto may have gotten wise, he's not "old wise" yet. He can't look that far into the future because he's currently too busy thinking about solidifying the foundation of his people.

*Officially speaking, you can submit OC's and OC nations again! Every chapter, I will accept three per chapter from those with good format with the following: name, government type, primary race(s), religion, and history (within five sentences). Bad format, grammar, and the like will not be accepted. Do not post your OC on the review; send me a pm for them with the name of the OC or OC nation as the title for PM. This goes for you too, kage. Send it through pm now.

If you do not follow the format above, I will simply delete your pm and not inform you whether or not I got the message. If you spam your stuff, though, then you will be muted.


	91. Chapter 91

**Well, the Nations of Andalusia are out! It has the list of all known OC nations created by myself and you guys, so if you feel bored, go check it out. **

**This also means that OC nations won't be announced here, but added to there. **

**Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

_**Arc:  
Grinding Labyrinth**_

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 260:**

It's been about a month since the war with the Duchy of Kan ended with my clan absorbing the remnants of the said nation into our territory.

As I had expected, the transition was by no means smooth. The nobles of the former Duchy of Kan protested vigorously, and some went far as to declare themselves independent. I did not let that stand. I sent Iskan with half of the Highlanders to take care of the rebels.

Harsissus Noble has been extremely helpful in that regard.

Despite being the "loser" in the recent war, the House of Noble had aligned themselves with my clan almost instantly, going as far as to put down rebellions near their own territories. For that, I granted them the lands of the defeated rebels.

Harsissus also sent his second daughter, a fifteen year old girl by the name of Yemi Noble, to my city to learn from us. When she first came to us, she was haughty and uppity -as we had all expected a noblewomen to be. But her tune quickly changed after seeing the magical and mundane architects that my city had established -my palace and the time stasis chambers, for example. She humbled herself and began to participate in schools and lessons provided by Riddle.

Enough about the Nobles, though.

What was truly worrying recently was the fact that Candy's pregnancy had reached critical stages.

Her water was expected to break any time soon.

Even with the Gamer's Mind helping to settle my mind, I was constantly frustrated and uneasy as was Candy.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 263:**

It happened.

Candy's water broke.

"You!" I shouted to the handmaiden waiting by the door. "Go get Senna and midwives!" I urged.

She nodded frantically, panicking just as I was, and raced out of the dining room.

It didn't take long for Senna to arrive, even though it felt like an eternity and then some.

"Out!"

I blinked and gasped at her.

"What?!"

"OUT!"

Then somehow, I was thrown out of my own bedroom.

"Too late to move her to the hospital. I told you to go to the hospital!" Senna roared inside the room as the door slammed close.

"Ow ow ow ow, sorry, sorry," Candy apologized. Her voice was strained already.

"Someone get me a tub of hot water! You, don't just stand around! Bring me towel!"

* * *

For the next entire day, all I heard was Candy's scream.

I sat across from my own bedroom with a chair.

My right leg bounced impatiently as I waited for the news.

Then it stopped. The screaming stopped.

I stopped too.

I looked up as the door creaked open.

It was Senna, but her clothes were bloodied.

"Senna...?" I weakly asked.

"She's fine, Ruto," she replied. "Go in and see her, but don't you touch the baby without -"

I didn't let her finish her sentence as I rushed into the room.

My legs and heart froze just a mere three steps into the room.

There on our bed was Candy. She had a bundle of cloth on top of her, which she was holding onto.

I slowly made my way.

"Candy..?"

She looked up. Her raven black hair was all fuzzled up and sweaty. Her skin was clammy and certainly pale. And yet, despite all of this weakness, she smiled.

"Ruto," she smiled, though I couldn't tell whether it was a smile or a grin. "Meet your daughter."

Didn't know why, but I was tearing up. Did everyone feel like this?

I gently took the bundle she held.

Then I saw it.

She was a ugly thing for sure. No hair, wrinkly, and red, this was not the picture of a "girl." The small pair of tusks that just barely jut out of the corners of her mouth also didn't help.

But she was my daughter. On instinct, I used [Observe].

**[No Name**  
**LvL 1**

**Race: Troll/Phased**

**HP: 7**  
**MP: 2**

**STR: 1**  
**END: 1**  
**AGI: 1**  
**DEX: 1**  
**INT: 1**  
**WIS: 1**  
**CHA: 1**

**Spirit: 1**  
**Magic: 3**  
**Power: 2**

**Traits:**  
**Princess of Ironwood Clan, Loud, Fussy]**

I had just the time to raise my eyebrows before she started to scream.

I laughed.

* * *

We ended up naming her Irowa, the girl born of the Ironwood Clan.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 265:**

It didn't take long for the news to get out that Candy had given birth to my daughter. The whole city threw a huge party even more grandiose than the one thrown in Ren's honor.

Irowa did not like the noise.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 266:**

I learned that because Irowa was born a half-troll and half-Phased, she differed from myself and Candy in that she could not evolve like ourselves.

Not that it mattered.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 270:**

I sighed after I gave Candy a kiss on the cheek and Irowa one on her forehead. As much as I wanted to just stick around with my family, I had a job to do.

Well, several.

The first was the paperwork. It seemed that while I have been not busy, the rest of the world just kept on moving. The paperwork that I would have normally spent an hour or two had piled up. I would have to use a shadow clone for it if I didn't want i-.

... Why the hell didn't I use Shadow Clone to take care of the normal activities for me?! ARGH! Stupid me!

'Guess I still have a lot of WIS to upgrade.'

Ping!

**[Your planning and realization(hindsight) has increased your WIS by 1!]**

Yeah, fuck you too.

Speaking of which...

**[Shadow Clone (LvL 4) Cost: 815 MP (1,000x(0.95^(LvL))) per clone**  
_If I'm real and you're real, who's not real?_  
***Condition: Must not have open large wound**  
***Condition: Must not have another object piercing the body**  
***Condition: Must not have disease or curse or bleeding effect**  
***Condition: Must not be pregnant**  
***Condition: Must not be moving fast during cast (speed must be below 0.5 m/s)**  
***Condition: Must not be confused**  
***Effect: Creates a physical clone (HP: 1/100 of caster (rounded up to nearest integer))**  
***Effect: While clone is active, MP reserve temporarily divided by number of clones that are active.**  
***Effect: Destruction of clone gives the clone's memory to original. **  
***Effect: Memory gained from clone has the following chance: memory gained = 100% - (Duration of time in seconds - (INT+WIS)*10)% - (LvL of Pain at time of clone's dispelling in 1-100 scaling)%. No memory can be lost from original. Every -1% of memory gain results in 0.001% of triggering Confusion.**  
***Effect: 0.5% of triggering [Confusion] every time clone is killed for 10 minutes per clone. Stacks up to 50. [Confusion] is not enduced if clone voluntarily dispells itself.]**

"Huh," I muttered to myself. "One of the condition improved... less mana used..." I thought about it. "Not bad. Sucks that I can't spam-train this skill like most of my other skills. "I could only use this at max twice in one go, but that'll leave me pretty manaless."

With a shrug, I made two.

"Okay, Clone #1," the one on my left instinctively saluted. "Paperwork."

Clone #1 shriveled a bit. "I knew it was coming, but still..." it muttered.

Clone #2 shrugged. "Better you than me."

"...I am you."

"Right."

Do I normally act like this? Kind of dull and lame?

"Clone #2."

It looked at me and raised an eyebrow. It certainly acted differently from the other clone and myself. Does the [Shadow Clone] skill emphasize different aspects of myself every time I use it? "You're going to be training the soldiers."

It grunted. "Good enough for me. Just don't stick me with the high ranked ones; I only have 10 HP."

"You tell them that yourself. You're me."

"Right."

And off they went.

Well, I'm off to the dungeons. I need more gold for ... everything.

Actually, what can I _directly _do with gold to improve my city?

"[City Manager]," I commanded.

The screen for the [City Manager] popped up, but I couldn't see the entire clan or the nation's options here.

"Umm... [Help]?"

The search bar came up. Nice.

"How should I ask this... Ah! How about this? Nation Manager."

There was a pause before that screen and the [City Manager] disappeared, replaced by a much larger and much more complex [Nation Manager].

I looked at it in awe.

It held the same tabs like government and trade while lacking some of the details of the City Manager, but it had a map of the entire Ironwood Clan territory and states.

"Guess I'll be tinkering with you for a while."

* * *

I found out by the end of the session, I learned that gold can be _spent _on the [Nation Manager] to do the following:

*Hire Mercenaries  
*Hire labor  
*Exchange Gold for Goods  
*Invest Gold into trade

And I also learned that the clan had a total population of half a million. Of that half a million, trolls made up only a meager 9% while humans, oni, lizardkin, and beastkin made up 60% of the total population together.

And then I ran into the National Economy tab.

Oh boy. I got a cold wake up call.

1\. Inflation was at 15% and rising by 0.4% per month because of the clan's reliance on gold for income.  
2\. Intra-clan trading was at an all time low.  
3\. Outside of my Ironwood City, the capital of the clan, the rest of the cities, towns, forts, outposts, and villages all had high chance of fire, disease, violence, and ethic divergence outbreak, which decreased tax and production income.

Just trouble after another trouble, and if that wasn't enough, bandit numbers were on the rise on the fringes of my territory, and unrest was high on all border provinces, especially the western provinces where Shirou was defending from the Galburian nobles and mercenaries.

"You know, I kind of regret making my clan so large," I grumbled as I stood up to take care of the unrest first. "...Better leave a note to Senna and Candy. Or they'll fry me alive."

* * *

**-AvA-**

* * *

**Interesting News Around the World**  
**Ruto's Year 4 + Day 275:**

*In east central Canterrius, one of the nations popped a vein of noxious crystals. A chain reaction followed, and an entire region was populated by the event. As it stands, that region, formerly the Dawn Fields, is labeled as hazardous zone on par with those ruled by Fire Elemental Lords and Gods.

*Republic of Mavubim, once part of the Great Five Dwarven Alliance -five dwarven nations that formed from the dead corpse of the Abamjul Empire, successfully waged a war of conquest against smaller states to its south, claiming half of the territories from two states it attacked.

*State of Chuvim, which was also member of the former Great Five Dwarven Alliance,

*The Grand Duchy of Sarang's expansion into northwestern Canterrius has turned the attention of two of its more powerful nations, the State of Lon and the Kingdom of Canterrius to the said duchy. The two allied, and are now fighting back the powerful army the Grand Duchess has fielded. However, against five S-rankers to their one, the two Canterrius nations are not expected to achieve any form of significant victory.

*A North Kermanian spy was caught by South Kermanians. The spy ended up spilling everything he knew. Apparently, the north was about to declare war on the south. South Kermania did not take this kindly. In fact, they declared war upon North Kermania, and their ally Necropolis was helping them in putting down the northern threat.

* * *

**Interlude 1**

Isk kar stared at the fortress city atop of the mountain.

It stood proudly across from the valley between him and the itself.

"He" had to admit. For fleshlings, the might that the city exuded was something that even he was impressed with...

...And he's a Fire Elemental Lord.

Well, he was.

He stared down at his "hands."

He frowned as he remembered what happened to him those few weeks ago.

_"You will be my familiar, demon!"_

**_"You dare demand from me?! I am the Fire Lord of Aga'thul!"_**

_Explosions. Ground melted. The sky darkened as lightning struck down repeatedly. Fire erupted from the depths of the earth with the fury of a rapture._

_A mistake._

**_"This is your grave."_**

_"...Aye, but I'll have the last say!"_

_Change. Agonizing change._

He fisted his hands.

Perhaps this fast rising clan of ... monsters will have the answer for him to return to his land. To have this weak fleshling body changed back to his glorious fiery form.

It was not advertised as a city of magic, but it was told to be a city of freedom. This was where it would be for the foreseeable future.

* * *

**Interlude 2**

"Y-You can't just go and do that!"

"Why not?" Boman grunted as he hefted another large bag filled with hemp seeds. "It's not like the king restricts us from setting up our own shop!"

"But you are not artisan! You're encroaching on our territory!"

Boman glared at the merchant before him.

A few weeks ago, Boman got a really great idea.

He liked to work in the trombo worm farm, but life as a worm farmer got boring really quickly, especially when he was given like a week off. Life was comfortable, yes, but by no means fun. So he looked around the city to learn about how the rest of the city enjoyed themselves.

There was a brothel, but he didn't want to spend his well-earned money on whores.

There was a smoke shop, but it was heavily discouraged by the Queen and the Mentor. So he followed them.

Then there was a hobby shop, but his room was not really big enough for the kind of hobbies the shops were offering. And he would not be able to move out because technically, despite having been a citizen of this city for some time now, he was still under the "prisoner-work contract" thing that Small Chief Shirou had set up for a lot of the former soldiers of the Shkifield War.

Then he saw how merchants were making money.

And he saw something that was odd.

He had learned in school -a terrific benefit to being a citizen of Ironwood Clan- that where there was demand, there was supply. But in his own city, there was a distinct lack of supply of drying oil.

He decided after observing this that he would set up his own shop.

To do that, he first earned his freedom from the "prisoner-work contract" that he had been under by basically applying for full Ironwood Clan citizenship. Since he was well known among the "core" members of the Ironwood Clan, the process went through rather quickly.

Next, he sold the Trombo Worm eggs that he earned from working in the trombo worm farm to gather a small quantity of gold coins.

Then, he bought a building on the Fourth Ring as close as he could to the warehouses and the hemp farm in the eastern Bullywug Valley.

Finally, he was starting his business.

But this merchant came up to him and demanded that he stop this because he was not an apprentice or a master of a craft.

What a joke.

"What's going on?"

The merchant, himself, and the crowd turned to look at the newcomer.

It was King Ruto himself.

"Your Highness!" the merchant immediately bowed as did everyone. Boman didn't, because he remembered the days when Ruto hated being called a "king." So only he didn't miss the familiar scowl that Ruto made in distaste when everyone bowed.

"Yo, chief," he greeted with a grin.

Ruto returned it. "So what's going on here?"

The merchant was quick to jump the gun. "My lord! This peasant is trying to set up a shop when he is neither a merchant or an artisan!"

He blinked. "That's it?" he said to the merchant before he turned to Boman. "You have the certificate?"

Boman blinked for a while he understood what Ruto said.

Certificate.

It was one of the new things that one had to learn about when living in Ironwood City. Certificates were basically a paper that allowed its named holder to do something. It wasn't required for everything, but Boman had wanted to make his establishment legitimate, so he got one.

He looked around for it in his pockets before he found it folded up in his back pocket. "Here!" he grinned.

Ruto took it and read it before handing it back.

"I don't see a problem here," the king said before he turned around.

"W-what?! Y-You can't just walk away!" the merchant shouted indignantly.

Ruto stopped and turned around with a blank face.

"I can't do what?"

The merchant quickly composed himself. "I'm ... sorry, milord, but this is an infringement of our rights as merchants and artisans!"

Ruto blinked before he laughed. It took a while before he wore his blank face again.

"You are...?"

"Merchant Hadim, Your Highness."

"Hadim, that's your family name, right?" A nod. "In this city, there is no such thing as 'class rights.' In fact, outside of my being the Clan Head and the King of the Ironwood Clan, there are no other classes."

A pause. "What?!"

Boman blinked. "You didn't know?" he asked the merchant.

The merchant looked back and forth between himself and the king. "B-But even republics have nobles and clergymen!" he protested.

"Well, we don't," Ruto replied. "So unless you want to make a scene, I suggest you go to the Administratum and check out the laws there."

Soon, the merchant was gone, and Ruto was swamped by visiting foreigners. Many of them were awed by the fact that this regional powerhouse was a "no-class" society.

Then a bright red haired foreigner walked up to him, and Boman knew instantly that the foreigner was a powerful person. It was in how they walked and the muscles.

"...It's true?"

"About?"

"Class, rights, and equality?"

Ruto nodded. "As long as you follow the law and try not to subvert the people, you can do anything!" Ruto said as he proclaimed for all those to hear.

"...Can my clan settle here?" the same foreigner asked.

"Your clan?"

A nod.

"Name?"

"...Nes'Giorgca Fanalis."

"Tell me more about them."

Boman tuned out the conversation after that as he got back to working on his shop.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Character Status by the end of Year 4 + Day 275:**

**Naruto  
[High Chief Ruto][The Impaler][King Ruto of Ironwood Clan]  
LvL 166  
The Gamer  
**

**Race: Zandalari Troll  
Blessing: Mark of the Red War God  
Class: Berserker -****Destroyer  
Class: Archer**

**HP: 218.5(+1,002.5) (+52.5 HP per hour regen)  
Mana: 1,760 (+21.7 per minute regen)**

**STR: 2,005(1503.75(SGMII))  
DEX: 504  
AGI: 646  
END: 808  
INT: 417 (+4.17(MPT))(+4.17(GC))(+4.17(GP))  
WIS: 428 (+4.28(GC))****(+4.28(GP))****  
CHA: 369  
Unused Points: 11**

**Spirit: 100  
Magic: 65  
Power: 96**

**Control: 160  
**

**Fame(Prestige): +58,943.2  
Infamy: +18,159**

**Traits Taken + Earned:  
**Ambitious**, Quick, Genius, **Cynical,Content, Teacher[Neutral](Unavailable), Power Overwhelming, Strength is Key, **Wroth**, Strength of the Greatest Mountain (SGMII), Family Commander, Insectoid Regeneration, **Intimidating,** Sadistic, **Kind**, **Proud**

**Racial Traits:  
Beast Slaying (max)  
Troll Blood (max)  
Troll's Unarmed Mastery (max)**

* * *

**Class Skills:  
Killer's Intuition (LvL Max)  
Morale Breaker (LvL 10)  
Blood Rage (LvL 10)  
Domination (LvL 10)  
Merciless Execution (LvL 10)  
Rapid Fire (LvL 10)  
Small Flaming arrow (LvL 10)  
Headshot (Passive)**

**Unique Skills: ****  
****Aegis Shield (LvL 9)  
Berserker (LvL 11)**x  
**Burst (LvL 7)  
****Clairvoyance (LvL 6)  
****Fire Magic (AVG LvL 8)- Fireball (LvL 21) - Fire Whip (LvL 6) - Fire Lance (LvL 2) - Fire Blast (LvL 3) - Rain of Fire (LvL 8)****  
Instant Dungeon Creation (LvL 9)  
Lesser Summoning (LvL 1)  
****Magic Resistance (LvL 11)**x  
**Magic Penetration (LvL 1)**  
**Mountain Killer (LvL 11)**x**  
****Observe (LvL 94) + Structural Analysis  
****Projection (LvL 69)  
Quarterstaff (LvL 39)  
Reinforcement (LvL 54)  
Shadow Clone (LvL 4)  
****Sonar (LvL 47)  
Time Decel (LvL 16)  
****Water Magic (AVG LvL 2) - Waterball (LvL 2)****  
**

**Basic Skills:  
Adrenaline Rush (LvL 36)**x**  
Archery (LvL 48)**x**  
Ambush (LvL 27)**x**  
Baiting (LvL 36)**x**  
Blade Mastery (LvL 43)**x**  
Blunt Weapon Mastery (LvL 71)**x**  
Charging (LvL 25)**x**  
Crafting (LvL 52) - Construction (Subskill)(LvL 37) -Artificer (Sub(LvL 11)) - Tailoring (Sub(LvL 4))  
Crushing Blow (LvL 41)**x  
**Double Strike (LvL 42)****  
Fishing (LvL 23)  
Gamer's Body (LvL MAX)  
Gamer's Mind (LvL MAX)  
General Chemistry (LvL 1)  
General Economics (LvL 5)  
General Mathematics (LvL 3)  
General Psychology (LvL 2)  
Grasscutting (LvL 2)  
Intimidation (LvL 53)****  
Language (LvL 10): Zandalari, Carpathi Impish, Common Human, Orcish  
****Lesser Kingship (LvL 5)****  
Lesser Knowledge Connection (LvL 6)  
Lesser Regeneration Magnifier (LvL 7)  
Listening (LvL 41)  
****Lovemaking (LvL 26)****  
Mapping (LvL 24)  
Mining (LvL 6)  
Negotiation (LvL 22) - Vassalization(Subskill)(LvL 5)  
Persuasion(LvL 17)  
Physical Durability (LvL 57)  
Piercing Blow (LvL 26)  
Riding (LvL 6)  
Running (LvL 80)  
Teaching (LvL 25)  
Torture and Interrogation (LvL 10)  
Throwing (LvL 50)  
Trapping (LvL 53)  
Unarmed Mastery (LvL 82)  
**

* * *

**Background Systems (Hero-tier Update):  
Life of a Gamer  
Achievement System  
Class System  
Gamers' Market  
Help Search Bar**

* * *

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan (Ironwood City):**

**Races of Ironwood Clan  
Trolls** , **Onis** , Faze , Phased, Vashta Nerada, **Greater Fairy**, **Kobold** , Mountain Dryad , Imps , Hell Hounds , **Fairies**, Incubu/Succubi , **Draenei **,** Humans **,**Taurens**, **Beastkins**,** Grey Dwarves**, **Arakkoa** , **Lizardmen**, Earth Fairy, Orc, **Elf**, **Drakken**

**(Darkened races make up more than 5% of the total population. **Non-highlighted races make up less than 5% of the total population**)**

**Ironwood Highlander Warrior Count: **909  
**Ironwood Blue Cataclysm Mage Count**: 83  
**Ironwood Black Skull Reaper Count:** 116  
**Ironwood Green Healer Count:** 32

**Total City Population:** 13,590

**Levy from Vassals:  
**3,261

* * *

**Ironwood City:**

**Fame:** 3,416**  
regionalPower**: 8.2

* * *

**Important Figures!**

**Ironwood Clan**

**Ruto - **Great Chieftain of the Ironwood Clan**  
Iskan -**Troll+Imp racial leader, small chief. In charge of training new recruits. Leader of the Ironwood Highland Warriors (warrior order).**  
Shirou -**Oni racial leader, small chief. In charge of education, production, and strategy. **  
Candy -** Faze+Vashta Nerada racial leader, small chief. In charge of scouting and intelligence. Ironwood Ranger Captain.**  
Senna -** Fairykin racial leader, small chief. In charge of food and recruitment.**  
Dresa -**Kobold racial leader, small chief. In charge of mining.  
**Riddle** \- Yodr factional leader, a small chief.  
**Na'Deri'in** \- Na'sh factional leader, Draenei racial leader.  
**Xumalhoof** \- Tauren racial leader.  
**Golthaum** \- Dhan'Thal dwarf leader and on the small chief council.  
**Derin** \- Human racial leader.  
**Kragnok** \- Scorchscale Clan representative.

**Vassals**

**Pyrcol** \- Lower Carpathi City-States (regionalPower: 2.6)  
**Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Vyyagrin al'Shavi** \- Free Union (regionalPower: 5.3)

**Allies**

**Duke Christopher Zepolya **of the Transyl-Carpathi  
**Grand Duchess Minverva Managot** of the Sarang

* * *

**Faction Standings:**

**Carpathi Ironwood Clan** **+1000** (regionPower: 7.5)**  
Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi +950 (Ally) **(nationalPower: 15)  
**Grand Duchy of Sarang +700 (Ally)** (nationalPower: 5)**  
Kingdom of Galburi -500 (hostile) **(nationalPower: 9.7)  
**Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire -100 (hostile) **(imperialPower: 6.4)

(Power conversions on Chapter 31)  
(Power =/= military might)  
(Power =/= economic might)  
(Power = Potential)

* * *

**Important Personal Equipment/Inventory:  
**

**Peacemaker (Rare)  
Ironwood Warrior Armor Set (Broken)****  
Contract Emblem for County of Upper Carpathi  
Contract Emblem for Duchy of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Revyola  
Contract Emblem for County of Western Mari  
Contract Emblem for County of Eastern Mari  
****Contract Emblem for County of Northern Dynland ****  
Vassal-Liege Contract with Free Union (Elric Brothers and al'Shavi)  
Dhan'Thal Pollodium Mail Armor Set  
Passable Hemp-Fabric Workout Outfit**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!  
****Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes + Sneak Peaks:**


	92. Chapter 92

_**Arc:  
Grinding Labyrinth**_

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 300:  
**

It took me a while to figure out how to fix the economy.

I had three things to take care of.

1\. Rising inflation, mostly due to gold  
2\. Lack of intrastate trade  
3\. Lack of interstate trade

First, I had to implement a very unpopular law. Production(or in this case, mining) of gold was to be cut down to a quarter of its original flow while iron, pollodium, and other gem outflow were to double. Most of the city had no problem with this, but it was the people working in the mines, the dwarves, that had a lot of problem. Dwarves loved gold, and not being able to produce it made them not very happy with me, even if they understood why I did it.

Second, I heavily taxed gold. Like 50%. Again, not very liked by the dwarves.

Third, I got the Small Chief Council to agree with me in subsidizing both intra and interstate and province trade. For the next three years, all trade made in Ironwood Clan was given sales tax discount.

On the other hand, I put a price cap on the daily goods that people needed circulating inside the city as well as a price _minimum_ on the same goods. Of course, I set no such standards outside of the city. I hoped that this will help trade spring up, because the price of grain, for example, was higher in the city than outside the city. Specifically, the grain from the Lower Carpathi Provinces, ones controlled by the lizardkin cities, had an average price of 13 silver coins per kilogram worth of grain. On the other hand, grain that would be sold in the city were going to be priced at 15 silver coins per kilogram.

From the last census that the Administratum gathered, there were more than 50 metric tons of grains being exchanged at an average of 14 silver coins per kilogram. This means that my measures have effectively increased the price of food by grain by 7%.

Again, once announced, this was going to be a very unpopular measure.

But what else was I supposed to do? Just let the city and the clan run on an ever increasing inflation caused by gold that may or may not run out?

Still, I also did implement a 10% tax deduction on vegetables and fruits, which had smaller portion of the food market in the Ironwood City and abroad, but big enough that the tax deduction was going to help the merchants make profit and the people spend less on what could be snacks and side dishes.

_Boom_.

Ah, that's my brain short circuiting from all of this economic policy and consequences mumbo jumbo.

Time to sleep...

"Ruto?"

"Yes, honey?"

"Can you make me dinner, hon?"

"Yes, dear."

Scratch that. I had a job to do.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 301:**

When my plans and new policies were announced to the public, the response was ... well, expected. It was harsh and unpopular. If Senna and I haven't been popular and trusted as we are now, there might have been a riot.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 302:**

I found uh... one of the Shkifield prisoner-citizens arguing with a merchant.

I asked what was wrong, and the merchant ranted.

I turned to Boman and asked for his certificate, which checked out.

When I didn't do as he had expected, the merchant protested. Something about class and whatnot.

I then told the merchant to sod off because there were no class in my city and my clan. Only the ruler and its people.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 303:**

After I kissed Candy and Irowa goodbye for the day, I headed out to the "eldritch forest" for inspection.

I learned soon after arriving from the Kanian War that Senna had done something to the forest, creating semi-sentient creatures from the trees. They weren't hostile to anyone, but I felt that it needed an inspection anyway.

As I approached the calm and eerie forest, I found myself shivering in anticipation.

Ping!

**[You are being Observed]**

Wait, what?

Ping!

**[The Forest of Curses greets its ally]**

...

Was this forest seriously talking to me through the Gamer, or did the Gamer translate for me?

"Uhh... hi," I greeted, slowly roaming my eyes from left to right as if to greet the entirety of the forest.

Ping!

**[The Forest is pleased]**

"... Well, how are you guys?"

Ping!

**[The Forest is pleased]**

Guess it can't feel or do much, huh?

Ping!

**[New language added: Tree-Speak]**

...

The fuck?

* * *

The Forest allowed me to explore itself, and I found a lot of discarded armor and weapons.

What was eerie was the fact that the forest seemed to be lacking in any dead bodies. One would think that an army of three thousand slain would leave their bodies behind right?

I have a feeling that the trees ate the bodies.

Ping!

**[New Instant Dungeon Creation Type added: Eldritch Forest (LvL 80~90)]**

"Oh. Sweet," I said to myself as I opened up the skill.

**[Instant Dungeon Creation (LvL 10) Cost: N/A**  
_I need to grind and farm, and I certainly am not picking up a hoe_  
**Effect: Creates a temporary instance. **  
**Effect: If instance stays open for more than a month, it becomes a permanent real world dungeon. You have been warned.**

**Types:**  
**Nothing  
Location-Dependent**  
**Zombies (LvL 10~50)**  
**Mountain Bandits (LvL 20~60)**  
**Rock Elemental (LvL 50~60)**  
**Eldritch Forest (LvL 80~90)]**

Most of it was new to me, because while I had the skill, I only ever used the [Location-Dependent] type for my instances. Good to know that I could access all of those dungeons wherever I was.

I equipped my Dhan'Thal Pollodium Armor set. Once I was prepared, I raised my right hand up.

"[Dungeon Creation: Eldritch Forest]!"

The world warped and lost color before I was in a whole new forest.

I blinked as the colors returned to me.

Then I paled.

The trees were no longer the same, not that they were the same trees from the Forest of Curses.

These trees had _bloody tentacles_. And _mouths_.

"FIRE WHIP!" I roared as my fire magic roared to life in both of my hands.

The fire got the forest's attention.

An ear-piercing scream rung out throughout the entire forest, and I flinched.

Ping!

**[Sudden attack to untrained portion of the body(ear) has increased your Physical Durability by 1!]**

Thank you, Gamer. I'm trying to survive here, so please shut the fuck up.

Just as I finished that line of thought, a huge wooden tentacle bore down on me from above.

I jumped to the side, and whirled around with the whip, using [Piercing Blow] as I spun. The latter spell affected my [Fire Whip], and a meter thick tentacle was cut cleanly through with ease.

At LvL 26, Piercing Blow gave me a 52.6% armor penetration. Wonderful, right?

**231 Fire Damage! Critical Strike! Armor Severed!**

... 231 was the damage I did after 52.6% armor pen? Really? Only that much? For fuck's sake, I was using fire against _wood_!

The trees shrieked again.

This time, all of the trees struck at me with their tentacles seemingly from everywhere.

I ducked under four tentacles seeking to pierce my head and heart before using the whip to slice them all apart. I [Reinforced] my legs and jumped through the burning wooden tentacles and through the purple and green canopies. Then I was above the ground by a good thirty meters.

"[Rain of Fire]!" I roared and unleashed my most devastating Fire element AOE spell.

108 small fireballs formed around me in nine rings of halo. With a curt striking motion of my hand, all of them rained down upon the trees. Flying at 27 meters per second against a stationary target, the eldritch trees went up in glorious fire.

I landed on the ground and grunted.

**MP: 1130/1760**

That was a third of my entire reservoir. Good thing [Fire Whip] and [Reinforcement] don't cost me a lot of mana to use.

As the tree mobs burned and died around me, disappearing as they died, I found myself staggering.

Ping!

**[Death of Eldritch Trees has been activated!]**

"Wha-?" I quickly used observe on my status.

**Status:**  
**[Death of Eldritch Trees], [Mana Drainage], [Staggered], [Nausea]**

Okay, what the fuck?!

I used [Observe] on the first status effect and gawked.

**[Death of Eldritch Trees**  
_Taking you with us_  
**Cause: Ashes of Burning Eldritch Trees**  
**Effect: Causes Mana Drainage (-10MP per minute)**  
**Effect: Causes Staggered (-50% to all stat)  
Effect: Causes Nausea**  
**Effect: Lasts for 10 minutes]**

... Holy shit. 50% deduction? -10 MP per minute? Nausea?! I was fucking covered in those ashes!

I grunted as fell to my knees.

'Shit,' I thought to myself. "Waterball.." I grunted weakly.

A single blob of water appeared on top of me and fell. As the water splashed, it took all of the ashes with it.

I gasped as all of the status effects disappeared.

"This instance ... can't be just LvL 80. Those are some overpowered effects," I muttered to myself.

Then I [Observed] the Ashes of the Eldritch Trees sitting in a pile far from me.

**[Ashes of the Eldritch Trees**  
_This thing is no joke._  
**Material Rank: [Rare]**  
**Effect: Causes [Death of the Eldritch Trees]]**

"Well, damn," I muttered to myself. Rare ranked material?

No matter. I could get it later if I needed it. For now, though, I have to leave this dungeon. This place is no joke.

...

But I should still collect those materials...

* * *

By the end of the collection, I had gathered a hefty 16x [Ashes of the Eldritch Trees].

I gave the Forest of Curses a goodbye, which it returned with a branch swaying of its own.

As I made my way back up the city, I looked over the [Gamer's Market] and my own [Crafting] to see what I could make with the ashes.

To my surprise, I could make a lot of things.

After the [Gamer's Market] scanned the ashes, it determined that it was a "B-rank material" and gave me an average of 20 gold coins per bag of ashes.

In my [Crafting], I saw that the [Ashes of the eldritch Trees] could be used to make potions, enamel, poison, alloys, and fabrics. There was a total of nine hundred items that I could craft with the ashes, and less than ten of them only required water and the ash!

In short, it was a ridiculously useful stuff.

In fact, one such item was this.

**[Draining Fabric**  
_Just touching this fabric makes you weak_  
**Material Rank: Rare**  
**Effect: -30% to all stat**  
**Effect: Removes debuffs and buffs**  
**Effect: -10 MP per minute to whomever touches**

**Recipe:**  
**[Ashes of the Eldritch Trees], [Royal Marigold], [?], [?], [Grass-Silk Fabric]]**

It was expensive piece of a fabric, but I could see how useful this was. It could be used to prevent any debuffs from applied to myself and to hide my presence. At the same time, it could also be used to restrain prisoners. The -10 MP per minute was a significant enough reduction to a normal person that they would be manaless by the end of the day.

It was worth looking into.

Another useful item that could be made with the ashes was this.

**[Curse-Oozing Soul Blade**  
_Not even your enemies deserve this_  
**Material Rank: Super Rare**  
**Effect: Applies [Death of the Eldritch Trees]  
Effect: Applies a random curse from the following: Paralysis, Poison, Bleeding, Fracture, Nausea, Blindness, or Rot**  
**Effect: +10% Life Steal**  
**Effect: Serrated (Causes Bleeding(-5 HP per second))  
Effect: Bleeding caused by Serrated and Random Curse stacks.**

**Recipe:**  
**[Ashes of the Eldritch Trees], [Rare-rank base metal], [Heart of the Undead]]**

Yeah. Overpowered as hell. You get hit by that blade? You can kiss your life goodbye, because there is no way you will be leaving the battlefield in one piece. Or at all.

... I should make one.

Ping!

**[Quest: To Forge this Cursed Blade of Mine**

**Requirement:**  
***Obtain 5 units of [Rare-ranked] metal. EX: Mithril**  
***Obtain 30x [Ashes of the Eldritch Trees]**  
***Obtain a [Heart of the Undead]**  
***Successfully forge the Curse-Oozing Soul Blade**

**Success:**  
***+5 LvL**  
***[Curse-Oozing Soul Blade]**

**Failure:**  
***-10 Opinion with all (attempted to make a cursed blade)**  
***-50 Permanent Opinion with "Light" religons**

**[Y/N?]**

I pressed Yes.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 304:**

Spent the day with the family.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 305:**

Grind in Rock Elemental Dungeon. [+699 Gold Coins]

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 309:**

Grind in Zombie Dungeon. Got the heart, but nothing else. It was a really poor place.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 311:**

Grind in Rock Elemental Dungeon. [+1,331 Gold Coins]

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 317:**

Grind in Rock Elemental Dungeon. [+2,331 Gold Coins]

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 321:**

Grind in Rock Elemental Dungeon, but gave up after three hours in. [+91 Gold Coins]. It was just a shit day to go through the Rock Elemental Dungeon. So I dove into a [Eldritch Forest] instance. Almost got myself killed when all of the trees ambushed me at once. But I got all of the ashes I needed. Kudos to me, even if I lost my arm and had to regrow it.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 330:**

Grind in Rock Elemental Dungeon. [+329 Gold Coins]

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 333:**

Grind in Rock Elemental Dungeon. [+900 Gold Coins]

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 341:**

Grind in Rock Elemental Dungeon. [+2,882 Gold Coins]

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 350:**

Spent day with family. Had to change Irowa's diapers. The little git smiled after tossing poop to my face. Still, she's my lovable git, even if she was a gi-

Oi, don't toss that poop at me! How did you even get a hold of it?!

No, no, no! Don't throw shit to daddy!

D-!

It's in my mouth! ARGH!

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 355:**

I whooped as I ran out of the Dhan'Thal Rock Elemental Dungeon. Once outside, I exited the instance and did a little dance before staring at my cash balance.

[Cash: 10,040 Gold Coins, 22 Silver Coins, 80 Copper Coins]

I finally had enough to buy that Rare metal ingots I needed!

So I opened up the [Gamer's Market]. I exchanged the gold coins for Market Points, which netted me a handsome 50,200 Pt. Then I scanned the ingredients section until I found what I wanted.

**[Low Quality Mithril Ingot]**

It was still rare.

I bought exactly five ingots of it, which costed me a 50,000 Pts.

And finally, I had all of the materials I needed.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 356: **

Unfortunately, Senna caught me before I could head to the forge. I had been skipping on my portion of the paperwork.

Guess I'll have to wait..

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 357:**

And wait...

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 358:**

Fucking bandits! Today was the day I could've forged the blade!

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 359:**

Why am I being called to preside in the court over trivial cases?

Why were there a hundred cases for me to look over?!

Senna, this is not my punishment for skipping on the paperwork, is it?

...

Senna?

...

Senna?!

* * *

Got a new skill.

**[Administration (LvL 1)**  
**Paperwork and policies tied in one**  
**Effect: -(skillLvL*0.5)% time taken per administrative task**  
**Effect: +(skillLvL)% increase in paperwork accuracy]**

Can't tell if this is a good sign or a bad one.

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 360:**

Please, let me forge my blade! I just need to get through thirty court cases today-

...Bandits again? What am I, the problem solver?! Are the Highlanders sitting on their ass doing nothing?!

* * *

**Year 4 + Day 361:**

Candy demanded I spend the next five days with the family, because "I've been neglecting them." I conceded.

* * *

**Interesting News from Around the World:**  
**Ruto's Year 5 + Day 1**

*Red Flight Drakken Kingdom is now experiencing a large spread of rebellions popping up from all over its territory. Two clans in the south and a former Canterrius Noble Lord all rebelled at the same time. This has put the expansion of the kingdom to an effective halt.

*Abasul Spiritual Confederation and Naaman Clan has formed an alliance.

*Grand Duchy of Sarang continues its expansion into Canterrius States, though its eastern expansion has been hampered. Their expansion south and southeast has slowed due to heavy resistance, and there has been a flurry of diplomats being exchanged between the three nations involved.

*Gods are restless near Martaga. The shamans and druids of Martaga are preparing to weather a storm.

* * *

**(Chapter + Omake + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!  
****Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)  
To Forge this Cursed Blade of Mine (Ch. 92)**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes + Sneak Peaks:**

*Changed "Nations of Andalusia" to "Addendum to Re:Gamer." Ruto's Stats will be added there as well.


	93. Chapter 93

**Interlude 1**

When the Duchy of Revyola fell to Ironwood Clan, the majority of the populace were happy with the new regime. After all, how could they not? Most of these people were slaves and serfs, those without hope and those toiling under their lords. The new regime broke that. Hope, true hope, was sown and the people roared in approval and happiness, even if they didn't know what exactly to do with their newfound freedom.

But there were those that truly suffered.

Some of those were slaves who fought for their beloved masters and their families.

Some of those were freemen and freewomen who owed their allegiance to their lords.

Some of those were noble families, who didn't exactly have any education beyond ruling, who were depraved of their land and titles.

And some of them were the children of the rebellious nobles, nobles who were executed without mercy.

One such person was Henrietta "Valkyrie" de Lavevenia, daughter of the executed rebel noble Hans de Lavevenia.

As she and her mercenary team came up to the Ironwood City gates, they steeled themselves.

After all, was this not the capital of the great human-hating Ironwood Clan? One ruled by the merciless troll king?

The rumors she'd heard so far were on two extremes. The uneducated peasants believed what they heard from their conquerors: freedom to do anything they wanted as long as it is within the laws' limit. On the other end was the rumor that the Ironwood Clan mercilessly slaughtered anyone who stood in their path, peasant or noble.

And she was before the gates. She was approached by five guards, two trolls, two orcs, and a human.

'Traitor,' she thought as she glanced at the human guard. And was the human not a traitor? He was working for a monster clan that killed true races and legitimate rulers.

"Reason for seeking entrance to the city?" the troll guard asked.

"Work. I'm a mercenary, and I know that Galburia is about to declare war... I think this clan has higher chance of victory. And me living once the region turns into a burning battlefield," she replied easily.

"Damn right," the troll guard grunted. "Our king is a SS-rated. There's no way that those slavers to the west can match up to that." He then pointed to the other guards with his thumb over the shoulder. "Most of these fresh recruits haven't been there, but I was at the Battle of Zepolya-Pears Pass. The king brought down the entire valley around the Yoal raiders. Let me tell you, it was scary as shit."

Henrietta shivered a little.

SS-rank? That's insane.

She nodded to the guard for the little tidbit and the badge he gave her.

"Since you're a mercenary, the Highlanders will be interested in you. Go visit their headquarter at the center of the city right next to the Central Palace," he added before he let her and her group through.

As soon as they were far away, Henrietta turned to her mercenaries.

"Go and gather information just like we discussed, alright?."

Asterio and Scarlet, a barbarian and a witch-class respectively, saluted lazily before they headed off.

After the two of them went off, Henrietta did her own information gathering.

Namely, she went to the nearest decent looking bar.

As walked up to the entrance and read its sign. It was written in three distinct languages.

"Jol's Happy Corner," she read in Common Human. Without much thought, she entered the shop.

To her surprise, no one stared at her, which was a common reaction.

She was a mercenary, and as a mercenary, she carried weapons and armor with her on all occasion. Her tomboyish hair and soft features along with armor and weapon made her a odd sight to look at. She knew this too. Usually, this would invite people to stare, but they didn't. They went about their usual business outside of a glance to see that a new patron of the bar had entered the premise.

She saw that the place was packed with all sorts of races.

There were humans, tauren, orcs, troll, kobolds, oni, arakkoa, greater fairy, beastkin, and so much more... Her head was spinning a bit by the time she found a seat on a stool by the front of the bar.

And it didn't smell.

The bar _didn't _smell!

To her surprise, an orc came up.

"Order?"

So he was the ... bartender?

"Uh..." In her dazed state, she couldn't get the proper word out nor could she think.

He looked over her once before managing to see the badge. "Ah! A first time visitor to the city then?" he asked her as he gestured to the badge she had pinned to her right chest.

She nodded hesitantly.

He chuckled. "You've come to the best place there is then, young lady," he said. "The first drink will be on the house. What'll it be?" he asked.

"... Just a cup of your average beer."

"One cup coming right up," he replied as he walked away.

Henrietta wondered what the other two found in this weird city.

* * *

Scarlet was a witch.

No, she didn't have any kind of wrinkles or pustles that the uneducated peasants liked to think of witches as. No, she was a gorgeous witch! She was damn proud of her heavil accented -*cough*GG-cup*cough*- figure, her beautiful face with its perky cheeks, nose, and rosy lips, and her slim waist! She was the epitome of what a woman should seek to be!

Of course, she wasn't exactly that kind of a beauty to the people looking at her right now.

"WAAAHHHH~~~" she sobbed as she clung to another person.

"S-Scarlet... y-you're kil-ling me h-here...! C-Can't b-breath!"

She immediately released the person whose face she held between her breasts.

The person was a human woman. A little bit shorter than herself but with nearly the same figure and the same red-tinted auburn locks.

It was her sister, whom Scarlet had thought had died when their home village was burned down by bandits.

Even without her sister held by her in a death hug, Scarlet just kept on sobbing in the middle of the busy street.

"Can you stop, sis?! I'm okay, see?!" her little sister said indignantly even as her own eyes moistened.

"WAAAAHHHHH~~~~~"

If anything, her sobs got louder as she fell down, still clinging to her little sister.

"Scarlet, everyone is watching us! Stop crying and get up!"

* * *

Unlike Henrietta and Scarlet, Asterio didn't know much about herself, and she really didn't care.

It was for this reason that she didn't wear much clothes other than to cover her chest and hips. Hardened and plated tanktop and thigh and crouch protecting battle skirt was all she needed and wanted. This exposed the rest of her body.

Now, this didn't make the men in the Ironwood City look at her with lust.

No.

In fact, they looked at her with envy, for Asterio cared little about feminine beauty and had thrown herself to the most brutal training regimes possible. The result were were muscles. Big, strong, and firm muscles that made all men around her seem small.

However, her height and muscles were possible because of her less than pure lineage.

She was part tauren, you see.

Taurens are naturally stronger than humans. While tauren's blood dilutes and thus its strength, Asterio was close enough to her tauren ancestor to possess their physical prowess.

It was also because of this that the Highlanders noticed her as she approached the Headquarter of the Order of the Highlander.

The headquarter of the Highlanders was built a year ago after the construction of the Fourth Ring due to a need for a building to serve as the headquarter of the order. At first, it was just three mossy cobblestone and wooden pillared buildings that served as storage, bunk, and order's record building respectively. Then when the order's recruitment boomed and the number of Highlanders spilled over seven hundred, the headquarter was rebuilt. The three buildings had been surrounded by a wall, which created one large fort in the middle of the 1st Training Ground.

The older members of the Ironwood Clan noted that the headquarter of the Highlanders was reminiscent of the first fort built by Ruto himself to safe keep the clan.

"...How strong are you?" someone asked.

Asterio stopped and looked around. She saw that she was at the center of the entire order's attention. "I'm strong enough to wield my baby on my back, if that's what you're asking."

There were looks of surprise.

In keeping attention of her ... muscles, they had completely forgotten about the weapon she carried.

It was a great longsword, easily 2 meters in blade length alone, wide as her own forearm, and thick as her fingers.

Someone jumped out from the sparse crowd. "How about a spar then?" he grinned.

Asterio gave the person a look over.

It was a human man... But there was something about him that tickled her mind.

Then it struck her.

Her eyes widened as her mouth opened.

"AAHHH! You're Juras Managot!"

Juras blinked. "You recognize me?"

"You tried to bash my head in during the Kalevania-Galburia Punitive War! Five times too!"

Juras let out a roar of laughter. "Sorry, still don't remember ya!" he laughed.

She snarled. "How about I make you remember me?"

He stopped laughing and narrowed his eyes. "Is that a challenge?" he asked.

She nodded curtly.

He grinned. "Bring the both of us the training swords. I think I'll enjoy this."

* * *

By the end of the day, when the Valkyries gathered together once more to share information and news, it was less information and more news.

For example, Henrietta discovered how wrong the rumors were. How generous the people were.

How Scarlet found her long-thought-to-be-dead little sister.

How Asterio got her ass kicked by the infamous Mountain Man Juras.

The last one actually scared the Valkyries into inaction.

After all, how could the three of them who ca barely take on a S-ranker fight against someone who trumps on S-rankers with ease?

Even though the rumors about a monster king had been dissuaded, Henrietta still wanted revenge for the death of her father. In the end, the Valkyries reluctantly agreed to go through with the assassination attempt.

So with that, they waited in the city to gather more information.

Killing was only one part of assassination, after all.

They bid each other a good night, and went to sleep.

* * *

**Interlude 2**

Unlike many of the races that adored the light and sought to place their throne room where light can bleed through in large quantities, it was the opposite in the throne room of Necropolis, the only undead nation in all of Tesbalta (vampires don't count).

Whereas the throne room of humans would be littered with stained glass and windows, Necropolitan throne room had no such things. Even if the ruler of Necropolis wanted it, it would be impossible; the throne room was underground.

But make no mistake, it was a grand thing. At the highest point, the throne room was forty meters tall and fifty meters wide. It was also a hundred meters long from the entrance to the throne itself. Light green and sky blue artificial light created by [Ywan Sun] spell provided the throne room with a calm atmosphere.

Such an atmosphere could not be found today.

Balthazar frowned from his throne.

As the ruler of Necropolis, he was the king over the nercomancers and their undead servants as well as the few free-minded undeads. This was not to exclude the other darker elements that Necropolis housed, but those were smaller in number and less likely to cause any form of change.

And as the ruler of such large number of undeads, he had run into troubles.

When the Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire was ruling over the Kermanias, he had to impose strict control of information coming and leaving into the city. After all, it wouldn't do well for the city if the larger world found out that there was a huge undead citadel in the middle of their backyard. During this time, he toyed with the idea of causing a rebellion to take a huge portion of the unprotected region. Rebellion in such a fashion would be different from being discovered because _he _would be in control of information and movement of army as the preemptive attacker.

That's when the second trouble struck.

The Kerman Rebellion. They rose up as one, preventing him from claiming a large portion of what he had wanted for himself.

Curse the bloody fleshlings...

He had managed to claim a small strip of land, though. The land, however, was barely worthy of being called a County.

To his surprise, the rebellion broke apart into two states: the north and south. And they did so over the issue of his city and nation.

The north wanted to eradicate them.

The south was more tolerant.

Obviously, he aligned Necropolis with the South Kermania.

This didn't stop the north from attacking.

The skirmishes so far had been small. No more than a hundred men on each side engaging the other.

Then just a week ago, a thousand North Kermanians attacked his colonists to the west. The small town of a hundred was wiped out to the last child by the "paladins" of the North.

That shocked and pissed him off.

He had allowed the previous attacks upon his border patrols with amusement. After all, they weren't the first nor the last people who attacked his "undeads" because they believed that they were either evil or monsters.

But a deliberate attack on the village?

No.

_Just no._

Nononononononononono.

That crossed the_ FUCKING_ line!

To that end, he had begun hiring mercenaries, and raising more elite undead warriors, to capture the attackers.

And may their lord bless those captured, because he was going to turn them all into free-minded undead. It would be a fitting punishment for those who sought to kill himself and his people.

So that's where he was now.

Ready to pass on that judgement to the drakken and human adventurers his mercenaries had caught in the western front.

The one who had caught them was Krauzis Nightshade, a mercenary from Necropolis itself.

"So you come to burn my people, but find yourself caught instead. Ironic, is it not?" Balthazar asked.

The drakken paladin wearing the sigil of the militant arm of the Path of Light spat.

It didn't even reach Balthazar's foot, who only sighed.

"Great. Now the bloody janitor has to clean that up, so you know what? Let's start with you," he said as he rose up.

"Try your best at torturing me, undead scum!"

The mercenary holding him down sighed in disappointment. "Boss, these guys are pretty bad at insults. All cliches."

Balthazar chuckled as he walked right up to the paladin, knelt down, and placed a hand over his head. "Tell me about it."

It begun with a single phrase.

"Oh god of death, come and entertain yourself tonight."

The paladin struggled and then screamed as something happened.

With a nod from Balthazar, the mercenary jumped back from the screaming paladin as his body was overcome with red and black miasma spewing forth from his every orifice.

Everyone watched. Some in amusement, some with apathy, and many in fear.

Soon, the paladin was covered by miasma so thick, he was no longer visible.

Finally, the miasma broke away, and the captured prisoners all roared in fury.

The drakken paladin had been converted to an undead.

Balthazar smiled at his work. "Take them all away. Make sure none of them are killed, alright? We want to them to die at the hands of their friends later."

The guards saluted and dragged the bound prisoners away.

Mercenary Nightshade then turned to Balthazar. "Won't this cause the South to protest?" he asked.

Balthazar waved it away. "Unlikely. They broke the South Kermanian proclamation regarding attacking us. We are their ally after all. It might give them a little bit of a distaste, but nothing close enough to warrant them actually sending a diplomat to tell us of their opinion. Perhaps if we go to far as to kidnap innocents? Then sure, but not now."

Nightshade nodded and left.

Balthazar smiled after Nightshade left.

Krauzis Nightshade. He was a free-minded undead mercenary. His past was a little bit of a mystery, but it was well known that he was one of the first undeads to have inhabited the city. Maybe even the first. While not as powerful as he, the Great Balthazar, was, but Nightshade was a Master of All Things War. Cunning, smart, intelligent, wise, and powerful, the only reason that Balthazar had managed to win his supremacy over the city so easily was because Nightshade refused to compete for the said supremacy.

In fact, after his victory, Nightshade had been one of the more powerful neutrals who helped to cement his rule.

Perhaps a reward was in order? Nightshade was no true mage like Balthazar. He was a Nightstalker, which was a Monster Class that held more of a intellectual curiosity for magical knowledge rather than a practical kind.

Restoring his flesh to a point might even gain him some loyalty from the enigmatic mercenary...

Yes, that would be perfect if it was so.

_And so, the Lord of Undeads schemed on._

* * *

**Interlude 3**

Crows screeched as they flew over the battlefield.

To his soldiers, that was the victory call. They raised their arms and weapons high above their head, and let out a victorious roar.

"TO THE GLORY OF AKAOGI!" they roared as one as they turned towards their king.

The king in question sat on top of the hill that overlooked the battlefield. He wore a single bamboo straw hat upon his head and a black clock marked by red clouds.

But instead of rejoicing in victory like his common soldiers, the king merely let out a sigh of relief.

This had been the third and the last battle between his people and the Jarldom of Ursabim. With this, he would be able to annex the Jarldom and impose a strict law upon the raiders who had plagued his motherland for five hundred years.

"Your Majesty."

He looked over his shoulder.

"Yes?" he asked of the officer who had approached him.

"The Jarl of Ursabim approaches with his guards."

He nodded as he turned back. He scanned the battlefield, and saw the aforementioned group approaching him through it. They held the white flag of peace.

With a swirl of leaves, the King of Akaogi disappeared and reappeared in the middle of the battlefield, mere dozen meters away from the Jarl herself.

The Jarl's bodyguards held up their weapons in alert before realizing who was before them. The Akaogi soldiers around them shifted, still high on adrenaline from the battle.

The king raised his hand up for them to stop, and the soldiers slowly dispersed, leaving the king alone with Jarl and her bodyguards.

The Jarl was blonde woman of average height. She had sharp features which gave her the look of a strict authoritarian.

"...Are you happy now?" she asked him.

The king of Akaogi shook his head. "I never wanted war."

"Yet you declared it."

"Because you would not stop."

"What? Stop our culture? Did you even fucking realize what you were asking-?!"

"Of course, I was. But a culture that thrives off of the loss of others is no culture, only indoctrination."

"Just because others call it that doesn't make it so! It is our way of life!"

"It is your way of life to raid innocents and hard-working families? Then it is our way to conquer such people. Or would you rather see your country burn?"

"...!"

"Yes, I am willing to commit genocide of the stubborn, if that's what you're thinking, Jarl Jaran."

"... You are a monster."

"Aren't all rulers?"

2 years after its founding, Akaogi-Min completely annexes the mountain barbarian tribes that had raided their nation for more than a thousand years.

* * *

**Interlude 4**

As the last quadrennial meeting of the Witengamot ended, Lord Lee Wang Shi left the majestic golden chamber of the Witengamot without his friends or other lords or senators.

This was a usual sight for everyone who regularly attended the Witengamot.

Lord Lee Wang Shisun of the Noble and Ancient House of Lee Wang was a recluse who took to his responsibilities like the previous lords and ladies of his house have always done: with diligence and hawk eyes. Unfortunately, Lord Lee Wang Shisun did not share his father's love for Witengamot. In fact, one could go far as to say that he _hates _it.

His dislike stemmed from the fact that most of the representatives, or "Senators," were assholes. To the people who voted them in, they were the best they could ask for; the Senators went far to make sure their provinces or cities got the best deal with any changes to policies. Unfortunately, this also made them a very self-serving group for the Noble Houses who were charged with the protection of the entirety of the Republic of London.

And today, his dislike for the Senators were even higher.

As the Lord of Lee Wang Noble House, he was charged with providing the republic with an elite corp of magicians composed primarily of his house's members. In return, the republic provided his house with large sum of money and rights.

Today, the same republic's representatives cut off some of his corp's funding.

He had tried to stop it, of course. He had called upon the other noble houses who would face the same cuts to their funding. He had even managed to gain the support of several pro-military Senators, but it was too little too late.

The other Senators, the "Pacifists," had been working on it for a long time. It was a close call, but he still failed.

'Even as they cut funding, they still expect us to provide them the same number. The nerve!' he roared mentally.

Of course, he would flip them off and not provide them. After all, the agreement between the noble houses and the republic was that the noble houses would provide each of their member _per _agreed upon amount. It was a magic that was embedded in the entirety of the country that the Archmage Potter had weaved into the very land the citizens of the republic walked upon.

Once he was out of the Witengamot chambers and the Ministry, he apparated away to his home.

There were wars breaking out in their neighborhood, yet the Senators turned a blind eye.

'Let them suffer on their own,' he thought to himself. 'My house and I have done our duty. We won't step further when it's obviously not wanted!'

As he opened the imposing steel gates with a flicker of his wrist, a drakken emerged from the manor ahead.

To his surprise, the drakken rushed over to him as fast as possible.

"M-My lord!"

Lord Lee Wang Shisun raised an eyebrow. The drakken was his personal butler John Nival, a normal stoic and calm man. Lord Shisun wondered what spooked the man enough to get him to _run_.

Last time he had seen John run was when there was a threat to dispose, and that was a decade ago.

"What is it, John? What has you spooked?"

"T-A- Ah-"

Okay, this was ridiculous. Just exactly what did John-?

"A-Archmage Potter! He's inside the mansion. In your study, sir!"

Shisun froze before he ran to his manor some hundred meters from the gate.

* * *

When he barged into the study, he found himself staring into the emerald eyes of the most revered figure in Republic of London.

Archmage Potter.

"Something wrong, Shisun?"

"I told you to give me a warning, Master!" he hissed.

The archmage laughed boisterously as he patted him on the shoulder.

And that's how it was.

While the world thought that Archmage Potter disappeared a hundred years after the founding of Republic of London, he had never left.

The Fidelius Charm over their own manor was a great away of disappearing.

Over the years, Archmage Potter had taken in students from all walks of life. Lord Lee Wang Shisun was the fifth of the Lee Wang Noble House who had become the man's student, an honor that had the entire house jumping in joy.

That was another tidbit. While the Witengamot did not know, the Noble Houses of London knew; Archmage Potter was active as ever.

"What's this visit about, Master?" he asked.

His mentor paused before he sighed. "The war to the north and the Witengamot's stupidity."

Ah. That.

He sighed too.

* * *

**Interlude 5**

Boman liked his new job. Paint was awesome!

* * *

**Interesting News Around the World**  
**Ruto's Year 5 + Day 20:**  
**(Caladrian April 9th, 890 of the 5th Era)**

*Akaogi-Min successfully conquered Ursabim, annexing all of its provinces and people.

*Rumors have it that Galburai has gathered at least fifty thousand men for their holy war.

*King Lelouch vi Britannia has declared the abolition of slavery and serfdom.

*Volreek Empire declared war on Hlynovukos Grand Duchy. This has prompted North Kermania to join the war as their ally along with Tecari Duchy.

* * *

**AN: Only one OC anything per chapter, ya hear?!**


	94. Chapter 94

_**Arc:  
Grinding Labyrinth**_

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 33:**

Now, it has been a full month since I've been "released" from my penultimate duty as father and husband to Irowa and Candy respectively.

I should've completed the quest by now, right?

_Nope._

The quest required me to obtain Rare-ranked metals and forge a sword from them. Problem is that while I can obtain the metals, I didn't have the means.

The Lava Furnace.

It ticked me off so much. The Quest system gave me a quest without making sure I had the actual means to do it on the spot. Why?

Yeah, so the Quest system had some bugs and issues.

It was also the reason why I was running my ass off for the last two weeks or so to get my city a Lava Furnace, because apparently, in the small amount of time that I had not checked up on Lava Furnaces available in the [Gamers' Market], there was a huge inflation of all things. Some asshole dumped thirty billion gold ingots. Because of that, the exchange rate between gold to Market Points had severely shifted.

Before all of the inflation, I could have gotten myself a B-rated skill book with three hundred gold coins. Now? I needed _three thousand _for the same fucking item. And Market Points? For a single market point, I now needed ten gold coins!

Ten_ fucking _gold coins for a _single _point! It was the other way around before the inflation!

WHAT THE FUCK!

Because of that, the price of the Lava Furnace went from a million gold coins to a hundred million gold coins. Never mind the blueprints. Those were going for hundreds of billions.

I grunted as he smashed a Rock Elemental's face with my fist when it tried to sneak up behind me.

... Ooh, a diamond ore. That should fetch me something good.

* * *

Ping! Ping!

**[General Economics has LvLed up!]**

**[Your decision has increased WIS by 1!]**

I snorted, though I was sure that an approving grin had graced my lips.

The two alerts were actually the result of a single decision on my part to not sell my loot immediately. From what I understood about economics, inflation was something that was bad for "producers" like myself. The price of my goods being sold was dependent on Points mostly, for some reason or market mechanics I am still unsure of.

This was what I understood.

The sudden flooding of the gold changed the market. It has shifted the "currency" of the [Gamer's Market] from gold to Points, which before this was only good for conversions that EXP and gold couldn't -or wouldn't- be used. However, the gold flood has made the few Point Hoarders richest Gamers in the region. Because fuck! Those Point Hoarders, who were really just Gamers who liked the utility of the Points than the golds or EXP, were usually people who converted all of their currency to Market Points!

There were casualties too.

People like me.

Because of the sudden shift of the market to Point centric mechanics, my goods were now worth a quarter of what they used to be. I didn't have enough understanding to know exactly why or how the gold inflation led to quartering of my goods' prices. Perhaps if I study the market for a long time, I might.

It was because of this that I decided to wait out the inflation as much as I could, which has given the two alerts that increased my WIS and General Economics. I certainly didn't mind.

But with that said, unless I could find a Lava Furnace or its equivalent in this world, I was unlikely to finish two of my quests.

A bit frustrating, but I had other things to keep me occupied.

* * *

Like training.

Well, not myself. Training myself at this point was inefficient because there weren't a lot of strong opponents for me to _kill _to obtain EXP. Instead, I decided that I would train others. After all, I still had either 2,000 A-rankers or 25 S-rankers to train.

...

Speaking of rankers, how does the quest complete itself? Completion of one or the other is a given, but can there be a mix of two?

I pulled up the quest up.

**Requirement:**  
***S-rankers: 4/25**  
**Or *A-rankers: 198/2,000**

I think training up 25 S-rankers will be easier than 2,000 A-rankers.

But for now, time to return to Candy and our comfy bed...

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 35:**

Due to Candy's insistence, today was going to be the last time I was going instance running for a while.

Candy complained that I had not been spending enough time with Irowa and herself. I objected to this because I spent at least twelve hours with her for the past month.

Unfortunately, not agreeing with the lady of the house had resulted in a small shoutfest between us. This then caused sleeping Irowa, my little angel, to wake up and scream like the devil himself had come.

My ears...

I eventually conceded to stopping the instance running for three weeks. I would still do my other duties, but because instance running, which I had told Candy about in detail, was considered by Candy as "unnecessary."

So I intended to make the most of this instance run. This also meant for me that I was going to face an enemy that was worth my time, not the never ending grind. Perhaps the new [Rock Elemental Lord] instance would give me such opponent.

I stood in front in the center of the small private courtyard in the center of the New Wing of the palace. It was a delicate place; lots of easily broken fountains and light green flower bushes. I held my right hand up to the sky and breathed in.

"[Instant Dungeon Creation: Rock Elemental Lord!]"

The world around me warped.

* * *

I blinked.

After the world had warped around me, I found myself falling down from the sky a dozen meters from the closest ground. I landed without an issue, but I was just surprised. Normally, I didn't fall down.

I stood up slowly, looking out for enemies and brushing my Dhan'Thal Pollodium Armor of dust.

I stood at the bottom of a canyon with nothing living in sight. In fact, there wasn't even water even though the clouds were passing by the peak of the canyon which was less than a dozen meter from me!

Was this some sort of an extinct volcano? The round shape of this peak did seem to suggest that.

I took a step forward, and immediately, the ground around me trembled.

"Who DARES enter my domain?!" something roared. The voice reminded me of a rockslide.

I looked about, still seeing no enemy.

"I dare, you fossilized shit stain from the past era!" I roared in return. "Who's the pussycat that's hiding?!"

Silence.

Then the tremble beforehand deepened to a full out earthquake.

"YOU DARE INSULT ME, THE LORD OF STONE?!" it screeched.

'Now that sounded like metal grinding,' I thought to myself as I looked about. "Yeah, I dare! Are you deaf too?!"

Apparently, that was crossing the line.

From the other side of the crater, something shot out of the ground with a _boom _and a lot of rock being spewed out like a fountain. Unlike a real fountain, this rock fountain was about to pummel me.

I punched them all aside just as the creature slammed down to the ground, letting loose another earthquake.

I stumbled a little even as I swatted away a small rock flying at me.

The being before me was _huge_. Like bigger than the Administratum. Standing at least ten meters tall was a creature made out of rock, gravel, sand, and dust. A bulky and round boulder served as its chest. Though disconnected and floating, many a boulder and rocks of smaller size gave it a vague humanoid shape, all within dark brown and grey hue.

It reminded me of the ent that Senna called forth in a spar between the Greater Fairies a week ago.

'[Observe],' I commanded.

**[Grolth**  
**Rock Elemental Lord**

**LvL: 391**

**Race: Rock Elemental  
Domain: Grolth's Mountain**

**HP: 3,511  
Mana: 2,199**

**STR: 812  
DEX: 218  
AGI: 1,000  
END: 1,001  
INT: 70  
WIS: 111****  
CHA: 65**

**Description:  
A mighty Rock Elemental Lord, Grolth is an old being. Having lived for some three thousand years, not even most powerful of archmages want to anger him, lest he drops a mountain on them.**

**Buff:  
Armor of Titan (-99% Physical Damage Reduction)  
"I am a Rock!" (-80% Elemental Damage Reduction)  
Lord's Aura (-20% Total Damage Reduction)]**

"Oh shit," I muttered to myself as I stared at the stats and buffs. Those buffs just rendered most of my physical attack venues nearly useless. And three thousand HP? How the hell was I supposed to get rid of that with those buffs?! "Wait, what are my buffs?"

Ping!

**[Ruto**

**Buff:**  
**Lord's Aura (-90% Total Damage Reduction)**  
**King's Aura (+10% Morale Boost) **  
**Berserker (Immune to Mind Magic)**  
**Destroyer (+10% Area-Of-Effect Damage Bonus)  
Gamer's Mind (Immune to Mind Magic)  
Gamer's Body (Live life like a RPG character)]**

"Why did I never hear about this?" I muttered to myself.

Ping!

**[You didn't ask]**

"Motherfucker..."

Ping!

**[You have officially challenged Grolth, the Lord of Stone! You are now unable to leave the Instance! Are you ready to rumble, challenger?!]**

I blinked. That was new. Did this have to do with the things I said before this guy came out?

**[3!]**

"Umm..."

**[2!]**

I chuckled. "Not giving me a choice, eh?"

**[1!]**

I slid my right foot back and held my hands up loosely. "Let's dance, dustling, eh?" I asked.

The Rock Elemental Lord did not seem happy with my comment.

**[FIGHT!]**

The Rock Elemental charged at me with surprising speed, crossing the distance between us -which must've been at least two dozen meters- in a two seconds flat, shaking the earth as it stomped closer to me.

* * *

Grolth tossed a haymaker from the right with its disconnectively jointed right arm.

Ruto ducked underneath the attack, lit his fists on fire, and let loose a five skill combo chain right at Grolth's boulder/chest.

**10x Critical Strikes!**  
**-498 Physical Damage**  
**-185 Fire Elemental Damage**

'BLOODY HOLY SHITSTAIN FROM GOD'S OWN HEAVENLY WALLS! I critically struck ten _fucking _times because of Piercing Strike, and the total damage is still _less than a thousand_?!' Ruto thought to himself in a panic. Perhaps this was an opponent too strong for him.

He saw Grolth attempt to bear hug him to death with its rock arms, so he jumped and quickly jumped off from Grolth's cracked boulder/chest.

Mid flight, Ruto saw the elemental lord's arm switch trajectory mid-hug and came for him.

"RAIN OF FIRE!" he shouted in a panic. Soon, fireballs were raining down from Ruto to the elemental lord. Unfortunately for Ruto, Grolth cared little for the damage done by the fire and grabbed Ruto with its rock arms. "Shi-!"

Grolth used all its might to bring Ruto down to the ground, and hammered him to the earth.

Ruto felt like his head was going to bust from the pain. "Gah-!" The entire "arena" shook.

Grolth lifted him up and slammed down again, causing another minor tremble.

And again.

And again.

And again.

* * *

As shocked by pain as I was, I was unable to pass out or be blurred. In fact, both my mind and the pain being inflicted upon me was clear as the sky after a rainy day.

'Think, think, think, I have to-!'

**SLAM!**  
**-100 Physical Damage!**

'Goddamn it-!' "Aegis Shield!"

A shield formed from many hexagonal patterns, layering themselves..

**SLAM!**  
**-0 Physical Damage!**

All of the layers shattered.

'How do I get ou-!'

**SLAM!**  
**-140 Physical Damage!**

'FUUUCCCKKKK!' "Aegis Shield!"

**SLAM!**  
**-0 Physical Damage!**

Again, the layered ethereal shield shattered.

'Shit, shit, shit, s-!'

**SLAM!**  
**-100 Physical Damage!**

"MOUNTAIN KILLER!" I roared and touched the rock right where my hand was.

**-100 Physical Damage to Self!**

The two rock arms of Grolth split apart like a balloon in slow motion, and I dropped down to the ground like a rag doll.

"Fuck, shit, fuck, fuck, fuck!" I hissed in pain as I crawled away.

I gasped as bleed spewed out of the broken left arm. It was the only that hadn't been caught in Grolth's death grip, and I had used it to shield my face. I knew instantly that my left arm was useless, and I knew that I was going to be defenseless with only one arm. I was about to run away before I remembered something.

Grolth was still trying to gather himself, and I grabbed my broken arm.

"AAHHHH!" I roared.

And ripped my arm off.

**[Insectoid Regeneration has been activated! Cooldown: 24 hours!]**

My left arm 's stump bubbled in pinkish red color before it exploded out. After a few moments of bubbling and crackling, I had a new left arm. I quickly slid the Dhan'Thal Pollodium greaves from the ripped off left arm and slid on it on my new arm.

My instinct screamed at me and I looked up.

Apparently, in the time for me to rip off my arm, regrow the arm, and rearm it, Grolth had gotten together and was bringing down a double elbow strike.

I rolled out of the way.

"Ha! Is that the best you can do?!" I taunted. With my piece said, I Reinforced myself and jumped forward.

I activated my complete skill chain combo with the Mountain Killer ending.

My mana struck zero instantly.

"NOO!" Grolth tried to catch me with his arms, but I was too fast.

I struck the boulder/chest.

Instantly, the elemental lord blew up.

And I found myself flying and striking the other end of the crater arena. I rolled down back to the ground level, and let loose a laugh as soon as I stopped rolling.

"WOOO!" I let out a victory shout.

Then dropped my arms as exhaustion set in.

Ping!

**[You've defeated Grolth, the Lord of Stone!]**

**[Achievement: Elemental Lord Killer! +100,000 EXP]**

**Loot:**  
**+53,528 EXP**  
**+Large Magic Stone**  
**+208 Gold Coins**  
**+1,001 Gold Nugget**  
**+Grolth's Heart]**

**[Achievement: Fast Strike!]**

Ping!

**[Your Archer class has evolved to Assassin class thanks to the new achievement!]**

**[New skills!**

**Fast Strike (LvL 1) Cost: 10 MP per second**  
**Too fast for you!**  
**Effect: +100% Attack Speed**

**Backstab (LvL Max) **  
**The true classic of the genre**  
**Effect: Auto-critical**  
**Effect: +500% Total Damage**  
**Effect: +500% Bonus Total Damage if done silently]**

Ping!

**[LvL Up! LvL Up!**  
**+2 AGI**  
**+8 END]**

"Sweet... Really awesome skills," I grinned strenously. "...Well, I'm beat," I said to myself as I stood up and exited the dungeon.

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 36:**

"Can you repeat that?" I asked.

"...Why not just buy one?" Riddle asked.

I had been in the Small Chief meeting with nine available small chiefs, and during a conversation about the lack of good equipment, I went on a tangent and talked about how I couldn't forge the blade I wanted because we lacked a Lava Furnace.

That's when Riddle told me what she just did.

"I can buy a Lava Furnace?" I asked incredulously. "From who?! I was looking for one for the past year!"

Everyone looked shocked before turning to the Dhan'Thal Small Chief.

"What _didn't _you tell him?" Senna asked with a raised eyebrow.

Golthaum raised both of his hands in surrender. "Oi, oi! My clan's just a periphery tribe. We don't have much in contacts with anyone who would have a Lava Furnace!"

Riddle sighed. "You could've told him at least that the Volreek Empire sells some."

I rounded on her.

Riddle was an odd person. Despite being the factional leader of the 'devilkins' under my rule, she was very much a individualist; she gave very little care about the people in her "faction." She was also a well spring of knowledge, though she didn't share it unless directly asked about it.

She too raised her hands up in surrender in a nonchalant manner. "I didn't know you were looking for it. Apparently, you only told the dwarves."

I grumbled. "Fine, everything is my fault then, huh?" I grunted.

Senna chuckled and tapped my shoulder delightfully. "No one faults you for your lack of insight."

"... But who'll go and get it?" I asked myself.

"What do you mean?" Senna asked.

"Well, I want it."

"You want a Lava Furance. You've already established that."

"No, I want it now."

Everyone looked at me.

"Wait, wait, wait. That's just rash now," Dresa, the Kobold Faction Leader, commented. "I hihgly doubt that transporting it will be easy. I mean, it's a furnace, for God's sake. You'll need an entire team to move it."

I grunted. "I can move it by myself."

Kragnok raised an eyebrow. "My Lord, we all know that you are strong. In fact, you are the strongest when it comes to raw physical strength, but even you must have hard time carrying such a large volume of heavy materials. It'll be better if you learned how to build one, my Lord. Perhaps even send a team of dwarves to the Volreek Empire to learn. But I hear that Volreek is at war right now..."

I thought about it before an alert told me that it was time for me to train the A-rankers. I stood up. "Let's talk about this next time we gather. I'll have my decision by then."

They all stood up with me and bowed slightly as I left.

* * *

I was now at the Main Highlander Training Ground, which was the training ground that encompassed the quarter of the training ground that surrounded the Highlander Headquarter and was directly placed in front of the headquarter's gate.

There were thirty A-rankers standing in front of me.

They were the ones who I have decided to personally train as they had the highest chance of becoming S-rankers before the Holy War broke out.

I just wished Shirou was here with me as well. I have no doubt that his presence could help me in training these A-rankers up to S-rank. Unfortunately, the skirmishes along the Galburian border had become even more intense. Iskan was sent with half of the Highlanders and good chunk of the normal levies the city could provide to secure the region.

Damn the Galburians and their bloody asshole of a god.

I slowly scrutinized the thirty A-rankers before me. They were of many different races, and so far, they didn't seem to hold any other race in contempt. That was good.

"It's been a week since I sparred with you lot," I began, and all thirty of them stiffened at the mention of the spar in question.

A week ago, I had taken some time off from the family, dungeon running, and bureaucratic responsibilities to choose the soldiers and warriors I needed to train. For the entire day, I rampaged through the ranks of both Order warriors, mages, rogues, and regular levies within my city. Very little remained standing within five seconds of my engaging of them, and none stood after ten seconds.

These thirty warriors were those who had withstood at least six seconds in the ring with me as their opponent.

"Look around you!" I commanded, and they did. "There are thirty of you, and you will become as close as family in the next two years. I will be personally training you, but make no mistake! I do not tolerate idiots or insubordination! Is that understood?!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" they saluted as one.

"Good. Then grab your best weapon and armor. We're going hunting."

They glanced at each other in confusion but didn't move.

"Move it!"

"Yes, sir!"

It took them less than thirty minutes to gather their equipment, but they were ready. "I will warn you right now: do not ever separate yourself too far from me. If you do, you can expect to find yourself stuck where we're going for all eternity."

They gave me the affirmatives.

"Good," I said as I turned around to lead them out of the city. "We're heading down to the Forest of Curses."

* * *

Arama John Jjuvilli was a human mercenary who had decided that fighting for a nation like Ironwood Clan was something worth settling for. So at the age of 32, something which he was proud of, he applied for citizenship and received an acceptance.

It had been a surprise. After all, mercenaries weren't people that a nation normally trusts enough for a citizenship into one of their most important cities. Like their capital. He received one anyway. He found out later why he was readily accepted.

Apparently, there was a need for soldiers because the Ironwood Clan was expecting a war with the Kingdom of Galburia.

He had said 'Of course' to himself, but he didn't mind. These people were exciting enough for him to stay.

Then he was recruited into the Highland Order.

And finally, he was chosen to train under the Troll King himself... After a brutal sparring chain that ripped through the entirety of the capable men and women of the Ironwood Clan.

Now that was a day that Arama John Jjuvilli came to fear the Troll King for his battle prowess.

Famous soldiers, warriors, and mercenaries who he had personally fought before lasted less than ten seconds in the ring. The weaker simply caved under the pressure of having the spar with the Troll King that most of them just fainted on the spot.

The power of a SS-ranker.

He shivered.

And now ... he was in this blasted forest with twenty nine others where eldritch tree monsters tried to rip them apart.

"OOOHHHH!" he roared as he brought down his long clever after one of the tree monsters had overextended. His downstrike cleanly severed the tree branches that had nearly skewered him like a barbecue stick. He let out another roar as he dragged his long clever around in a circle upwards, cutting apart few more branches trying to skewer his comrades around him.

"Hey, watch it!" a tauren huffed as he grabbed a root trying to his squeeze his ankle. With a mighty pull, the tauren pulled out a meter's worth of the root, and a eldritch tree on the other side of the clearing stumbled. Tauren glared at the creature. He pulled out a throwing dagger from his belt. "Juluah." The dagger lit on fire, though it didn't burn the tauren. The tauren grunted again as he pulled his arm back and threw the dagger. The dagger flew, and struck the eldritch tree right in the "face."

Then it exploded.

Arama gawked at the explosion. "What the hell was that?"

"Juluah rune inscribed throwing dagger," the tauren replied with a grin, obviously satisfied that his show had inspired awe. He held the dagger up briefly so that Arama can inspect it before he spoke the rune and threw it. Another explosion rippled out from where it struck a eldritch tree in the trunk base.

"You're a wizard?"

"Nah," the tauren replied before he ducked under three striking branches. He pulled out a hatchet -a weapon that was also runic inscribed- and cut them away. "Just know a runes-!" This time, he dropped down completely as a eldritch tree attempted to swat at the duo.

Arama's reaction time was less refined. He saw the tree branch coming for him as soon as the tauren had ducked, but he wasn't fast enough to duck himself.

The tree branch let loose a crack as it found its mark on Arama's chestplate, and sent the human man flying backward.

"GAH!" he coughed as his chest made contact with the tree branch. Then once he was in the air, the same tree branch lashed out at him.

That would have been the end of him had it not been for King Ruto.

The troll king appeared out of nowhere and _slapped _the tree branch. The purplish brown tree branch powderized on the spot. As they fell, the king grabbed Arama, who was now disoriented, and came back down safely.

"Can you still fight?"

Arama nodded. He would later say that he was just awed and out of mind when he answered yes.

"Good," King Ruto replied as he swatted another tree branch with his blurring arm.

* * *

What most of the Highlanders did not know was that the "blur" of an arm was actually skill chain combo in constant action.

Rapid Fire skill used upon Fast Strike fired the skill _one after the other_. This meant I kept on boosting my attack speed to the point that there was a bonus Kinetic Damage being added to all of my attacks.

It was awesome~!

"But," I said as I looked around. Most of the men and women I brought with me were exhausted. "It's time to go back," I said as I brought them all together before shattering the instance. Thankfully, there were very few eldritch trees still standing around us. "Now, who wants to go take a good hot bath?"

The thirty or so Highlanders tiredly agreed. I laughed.

I noticed that most of them gained two levels.

* * *

**Interesting News from Around the World:**  
**Ruto's Year 5 + Day 40  
(Caladrian Calendar Arpil 29th, 890 of the 5th Era)**

*Western Caladrian nobles rebelled against King Lelouch vi Britannia's abolition of serfdom and slavery, as many of them were plantation-owning slave owners.

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!  
****Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)  
To Forge this Cursed Blade of Mine (Ch. 92)**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes + Sneak Peaks:**


	95. Chapter 95

***Wandering Spirit by Derin Leviathan has been recently updated. It's a spinoff of this story, so give that a go, yeah?!**

* * *

_**Arc:  
Grinding Labyrinth**_

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 42:**

**[Your HP and MP has been restored to 100%! All debuffs and buffs have been removed!]**

My eyes opened slowly. I drew in a deep breath and sighed, feeling Candy's light weight pressing down on me as my chest rises up and down.

I sighed in contentment.

Today, I was 18 years old in mind and spirit.

Five years ago, I died fighting to keep the capital city of Land of Fire from being overrun by _bug people _of all things. When I fought them, I fought them with ridiculous things.

Rifles.

Cannons.

Clones.

Greatswords.

It was a bloodbath. My cannons roaring and rifles firing. Those "Ohms" charged across the forest, dispelling clones and taking over cannons. By the end of it though, I was facing the last remnant of the Ohms' warriors.

One of them took me out. I wonder if I killed him too.

I know it's five years late to consider this deeply, but were the rest of the people there safe? Did I do my job well in defending the city? How many had I killed in that battle?

Sasuke and Kiba. Did they make it out alive? They should have because I sent them away long before the final clash, but I still wondered.

I wonder what jiji is doing.

There was a pause as my mind could no longer bring up questions to ask myself.

Suddenly, my stomach voiced its hunger with a loud growl.

"...Must you interrupt my sleep so _soundly_?" Candy grumbled as she woke up.

I chuckled. "Sorry, sorry," I apologized. "But I can't get up if you're on top of me like this, you know?"

She grumbled. "Make me food."

"WAHHHH"

"I think Irowa wants her food first."

* * *

Breakfast was a quiet affair. I cooked the Trombo Worm Steak to medium rare, which was what Candy liked, but I did force on both of us a lot of green vegetables as per Senna's (forced) recommendation.

After breakfast, Candy was quick to take Irowa over to Senna's place.

I, on the other hand, would have to head to the Administratum. After all, I had paperwork to submit -even as the clan's "king"- and more paperwork to pick up.

Speaking of paperwork for the king, I realized some time ago that my style of ruling is apparently that of a Administrative Monarchy.

**[Administrative Monarchy**  
_You rule not with an army but with bureaucracy wherever possible. Or at least, you delegate the work to the bureaucrats..._  
**Effect: +10% Tax**  
**Effect: +10% Happiness**  
**Effect: +10% Production Efficiency  
Effect: +0.001 Corruption]**

It was quite the good thing to have for my nation. This style of ruling generally allowed for more hands-off approach from my part aside from implementing and enforcing laws. Courts and justice system was improved as well, which meant that happiness was higher than it would've been otherwise because hey, courts solve problems. The neatness and clean record of the production made sure that the clan knew where everything was, which meant less things were lost in the process.

Unfortunately, because there are a lot of people involved in the process of handing out the necessary information and whatnot, there was a little bit of corruption that came with it. Like some people with bias may withhold information and others may try to use laws to get what they want even though the laws in question weren't made for such purpose.

"Mr. King~!"

Someone pounced on my back. A kid?

I looked over my shoulder from my musing, and grinned at the girl holding onto my back like a sloth. "What's up, kid?" I asked.

"How did you get so big?" she asked excitedly.

There were other children in the main street, and seeing my accessibility, they were quick to follow me. Even before I could ask the girl's question, at least a dozen children had gathered around me.

People watched me and the children. Some were smiling, others laughing, and few were unhappy.

Probably some of those folks who thought it was "improper" for a king to play with the children.

Well, let me tell them that I had a kid of my own now! Of course, I was not going to shout that out; it would create unnecessary tension.

"Well, I trained! I challenged myself and never allowed myself to stay in one place," I replied easily.

"Ummm what is challenge?" the girl asked as she dropped from my back and circled around, circumventing the other kids easily.

I kept on smiling but there was something wrong here.

A child should not be able to weave through other children so easily. It wasn't natural. Not in the way that made them twist around with the grace of a cat.

"It means to go after something that may provide new experience," I replied. "Like if you were to try and learn how to fly. You would be challenging yourself because you can't fly as you are right now, but there are ways to allow yourself to do so. Like magic!"

She frowned. But before she could speak up, another child was asking me a question.

"Mr. King, can you lift me up _really _high?!" a excitable boy asked as he jumped up and down.

I chuckled as I reached down to pat his head. "Are your parents nearby? Ask them if I could, because some parents don't like seeing their children up high."

"Aww, but my dad is working far far back!"

"Mr-"

...

Why was it getting quiet?

Ping!

**[You've been poisoned!]**

...

Oh shit-!

I hit the pavement, thankfully not hitting any of the children. They scattered away, and I could vaguely hear them screaming.

There was a pause for the adults before they rushed over to me.

* * *

**Year 5 + Day ?**

Ping!

**[You've been healed!]**

My eyes opened again, and I found an opaque fog(?) surrounding me.

"He's awake!" someone yelled from outside my vision.

I frowned. Why couldn't I see through this?

"R-Ruto?"

... Was that Candy? Her voice was wavering. Like for the first time ever.

"Uhh, yes?"

"A-Are you okay?"

I looked around as the green fog faded from around me.

Candy was looking at me from above. Was I in my bed? She had dark bags under her eyes.

I tried to smile, but the mere straining of my face made me flinch and stop. "Probably..." I replied quietly, my voice refusing to rise higher than a whisper tone. Why was that?

Ping!

**[Your body had been poisoned!**

**[Aftereffects:**  
***Weakened Body (-50% to all stats for 3 days)**  
***Weakened Magic (-50% Efficiency to all skills and magic for 3 days)**  
***Weakened Mind (+50% Mind Magic, Psychological, and Imagery Damage taken for 3 days)]**

"...Oh."

Candy sniffled. "Bastard."

"Huh?"

"You've been in a coma for a month!"

My eyes shot open.

How the fuck!?

That makes no sense! Sleep was supposed to reset everything for me!

Ping!

**[Message from the Local GM: Poison affected magic cores and threads existing in your body. Because all aspects of the Gamer uses mana as source of fuel, the poisoning of the mana source has caused issues with the Gamer interference. I'm sorry for this inconvenience, but this is something that we the GM's cannot fix.]**

Well, crud.

"W-What happened?" I asked weakly.

It was Shirou who appeared in my vision. "Yo."

I frowned. "Weren't you in the western border...?" I asked.

"I was. But I heard that you fell ill to poisoning. So I had to come back to establish some form of authority."

"I see... I see," I muttered. "Thanks."

"No problem. This is my clan as much as it is yours."

I smirked. "Finally, the dunce admits it."

Shirou narrowed his eyes. "Should I remind you of the fact that I'm the one who designed the sewers?" he asked.

I chuckled, but it soon turned into coughing when my throat seized up. "...Did you catch the offenders?" I asked.

He nodded. "They're in jail waiting for your judgement."

I nodded. "Give me a week, but tell everyone that I'm okay... And I think I'll be taking another nap."

"Go... t..."

Everything fell to darkness.

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 70:**

**[Your HP and MP has been restored to 100%! All debuffs and buffs have been removed!]**

My eyes opened, and then I sat up.

I was in the "king's room." It was a room that I didn't quite use because it was located in the New Wing of the palace. "Damn," I muttered to myself as my spine popped from my barely moving and twisting of the body.

With a small groan, I slung my legs to the side and let them touch the marble floor.

I rolled by shoulders and my other joints.

It felt good.

"Your Highness!"

I jumped in surprise and looked over my shoulder.

There was a butler there. "Oh... Hi," I replied lamely. "Where's everyone?"

* * *

To my utmost displeasure, my month of inactivity and illness has shown up to my neutral neighbors as a weakness.

The North Kermania broke off from our deal of giving the clan troops for military access after the war. Galburia intensified its attacks along Free Union and the Ironwood Clan's borders. National unrest was at a historical high at +2.10. Pirates and raiders were disturbing established trade routes along my southeastern coast.

It was a disaster.

Especially since this also meant more paperwork.

I glared at the three perpetrators of all these messes.

All three of them were skilled women who had joined the clan few months before the poisoning.

The shortest of the three was the one who poisoned me, acting as a child. She was not a child, though, but a grown woman. It was the most buxom of the three who had cast the illusion to trick me. The third woman, the most muscular of them all, was supposed to be the getaway brawn, but no one could escape from a city that had hundreds of A-rankers and half a dozen S-rankers.

In the end, it was Senna who caught them and chucked them into mana-draining prison built out of bricks and metal bars made with Ashes of the Eldritch Trees.

As it was, I was not the only one who was angry with the three.

The entirety of the Small Chief Council was around them, seated in their seats in the Small Chief Council Chamber, where the sentencing was taking place.

"So, who hired you?" I asked almost nonchalantly. "From how many of the Highlanders you took down in your attempted escape, it must've been some rich noble, right?"

I tapped my foot when no one answered.

I reached out to the Highlander guard next to me, and found a knife. I twirled it a bit before I threw it with all of the strength I can muster.

There was a yelp and then silence.

"Answer," I growled. "Because the next time you don't, I'll be sure to drag that knife over your open eyes!"

The knife I threw laid smoking where it struck the floor. So intense had been its throw that the metal was glowing slightly in yellow.

"... You killed my father."

Everyone in the room turned towards the shortest of the three.

"You are?" I asked.

Despite being bound and drained of energy, the girl sat up a bit straighter. "Henrietta de Lavevenia. Daughter of Count Lavevenia."

I frowned for a second as my mind clunked away trying to find the name that must've been buried deep inside...

"Nope," I replied after a while. "I don't remember that name. You sure he was a count?"

Henrietta gawked at me. "You strung him up like a puppet after you killed him!" she roared, but it was quickly silenced when the guard next to her smashed the pommel of his sword at her temple.

"Silence, assassin!"

I frowned.

The punishment of "stringing" was only given to slavers, and the last of those punishments were handed out when Duchy of Revyola was conquered. The Kanian nobles were quick to capitulate to my demands, unlike the Revyolan nobles.

"I still don't remember, but I'm sure he deserved it. The Stringing is only meted out to slavers," I replied. "And no one in my land is strung without given a chance to stop being a slaver."

"You lie!"

"Can you stop with the one liners? This is irritating as hell," I growled to make my point clear. "And I'm nowhere close to finding out who your father is."

"... He was a Count of Mari."

"... You mean the fat fucker who was raping three girls before he killed them all when my troops marched into his home?" I asked incredulously. "You're defending the honor of a shit slaver like that bastard?!"

"He was family!"

"A family who's been pumping out babies like no other and selling them off!"

That stopped the girl cold. "Bu- Wha-?"

"Senna, get this girl her father's 'records,'" I growled. "We'll continue this case tomorrow, because apparently, some shit had a daughter willing to kill for his honor... or lack thereof."

Some snickered while others moved out without another world. I myself briskly left the court.

* * *

I must've been lost in my thoughts, because I can remember neither the path nor the thoughts because I ended up strolling through the Third Ring, the Scorchscale Borough.

I also noticed that a lot of the people here, mostly drakken and trolls, were extremely respectful of me. They bowed to me and moved out of my way quickly.

Ping!

**[Your Intimidation is on full effect]**

Oh crap.

I quickly halted the skill's further effect being imposed on the people around me.

When my "aura" was reigned me, one of the citizens cautiously walked up to me. He was a drakken of the Scorchscale Clan, who were characterized by their white and orange scales.

"My lord, are you ... fine, sir?" he asked carefully.

I nodded. "I am. I was just lost in my thoughts, that's all," I replied with a smile. I hoped that smile put them to ease.

The Scorchscale Drakken bowed to me, thanking me for answering his question, and moved out of my way.

I stood there for a second before resuming my walk. I was out here in the boroughs anyway, so why not keep up with the walk anyway? It's been a long time since I met the people in their own streets.

* * *

I must have answered at least fifty more questions from the locals before I was approached by one of the retainers of the Scorchscale Clan.

"Your Highness," the human retainer bowed. It was easy to identify him as a retainer of the Scorchscale Clan by the short-sleeved Grass-Silk robes he wore on top of his normal clothes. "It is the sincerest wish of our clan leader to meet with you. He has invited Your Highness to a small feast dedicated to the hatching of his first son."

I stared at the human retainer for a bit, who kept his head bowed. "Alright. Lead the way."

When I arrived some five minutes later, the feast was in full swing.

"My Lord!"

I turned around and spotted Kragnok.

"Clan Head Kragnok," I nodded respectfully. This was an occasion, after all. It wouldn't do well for me to treat one of the stars of this feast casually, not in front of all of the guests. Even if we considered each other close friends. "Congratulations on your first son."

The drakken laughed. "Thank you, thank you," he replied with a grin. "But come, sir! It wouldn't do for our king to be standing by himself. Join me at the high table."

The high table, as I saw it, was the set of tables at the head of the feast that Kragnok had been sitting in.

As they led me there, I saw the "man" of the day.

**[Kragson Scorchscale**  
**LvL 2**  
**Scorchscale Drakken**

**HP: 20**  
**MP: 0**

**STR: 5**  
**AGI: 4**  
**END: 2**  
**DEX: 2**  
**INT: 3**  
**WIS: 2**  
**CHA: 3**

**Traits:**  
**Strong]**

"If you would please, My Lord," Kragnok said. "Would you tell us how strong our child will be? A blessing of yours, if you are willing?" he asked.

I mentally chuckled. Fathers everywhere were same; they want what's best for their kids.

I walked up to the child, who sat in his mother's lap, I assumed. I leaned down, so that my nose was just in the reach of the

'...Is there a way to give this guy a buff or something?' I mentally asked myself as I thought about ways to do what was asked of me.

Ping!

**[Skill Crafting Menu]**

'What does it do?' I mentally asked.

**[The Gamer can insert two skills to create a new skill. Be warned! Skill creation automatically reduces both skills' LvLs by 10 before crafting starts]**

I straightened my back. "Perhaps later," I replied. "But don't be sad that I won't, because I will. Perhaps in a more private setting."

Kragnok nodded. "...I also have a matter to discuss with you, sir. But for now, let us party!"

"Aye!" I replied enthusiastically.

I was hungry, after all.

* * *

Towards the end of the party, when people began to leave, Kragnok led me away from the party to one of his clan's meeting room.

During the time I spent in the party, I managed to create the skill I was looking for.

**[Blessing of the King (LvL 1) Cost: 100 MP**  
_There are many kinds of blessings, but this is the most practical one_  
**Effect: +10 CHA until Age:15 to blessed**  
**Effect: +10 END until Age: 15 to blessed  
Effect: -1 to all Stat points for user.  
Aria: I bless this one from the very essence of my existence. Let no one say this child is not blessed]**

"Bring your boy to us, Kragnok," I said as I took the seat offered, which was a flat cushion.

He did so, bringing both his wife and son.

I stretched both of my hands out, and he gently placed his firstborn son in my hands. I held the baby drakken for a while. Unlike most True Race babies, the drakken babies were born in eggs. They spent about a year inside the eggs before they hatched. Including the time the eggs spend inside their mother, that was a total of 16 months.

" 'I bless this one from the very essence of my existence.' "

The wind in the room picked up even though there were no winds.

" 'Let no one say this child is not blessed.' "

Ping!

**[-1 Points to all Stats.]**

Ugh, that stings.

There was a soft glow on the drakken boy's chest, where a black and white strings appeared and intwined with each other. Then they split off to form many branches. And soon, a small black and white tree sat on the top right corner of his right chest.

Kragnok's wife came and gently took the child back, and bowed afterwards.

Kragnok himself bowed. "Thank you, My Lord," he said in the deepest and sincerest voice I've heard from him yet.

I laughed and slapped the man on the back. "It's all good!"

"... I also have another matter to discuss with you."

"Hmm?"

* * *

Henrietta stared at the leather bound and bloodied record book in front of her.

It had been a few hours since she was released back into her cell. As soon as her hands were freed, she was riffling through her father's book.

To her horror, the monster troll king's words were right.

The book held records of how her father _gladly_ made slaves from his own offspring, even going far as to _rape _his own thirteen year old daughter... the one that was killed when Ironwood soldiers smashed into his manor.

Silent tears rolled down her cheeks as she counted exactly how many of her siblings were out there, still enslaved to others.

_Eighty nine_.

She felt sick. Her stomach churned uncomfortably and her vision swam. She didn't even the cell door creak open and a large figure sit down right next to her.

Was it minutes? Seconds? Or hours? It took time for her mind to get itself back together, and she looked to her guest warily.

The guest was a orange and white drakken. Even when he sat on the cold cobblestone floor while she sat on top of her cell's hay pile, he was good hand taller than her.

"...What do you want?" she asked the drakken. "Are you here to kill me?"

The drakken stared at her directly into her eyes before scoffing. "You would be happy, wouldn't you? If I killed you, that is."

She glared at him, but didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say with such a damning evidence in front of her.

"Why not work for the man?"

Her glare intensified.

"What? It's only right. I'm a drakken; we know about honor. Honor that you tried to uphold for an unworthy father," he added. "But you were blind to the chinks and errors of your father.

"...Why do you even care?"

The drakken stared her before straightening his back. "Perhaps I should introduce myself," he said before standing up. "I am the Head of the Scorchscale Drakken Clan, and I see a honed talent when I see one. I'd rather not see one be wasted."

Henrietta felt her body go rigid.

A drakken lord or clan head showing himself to a stranger outside of the public setting was the closest thing to an honor a civilian could get, barring marriage and blood oaths. To have one visit her to tell her these things was mind jarring.

"I-I..."

"Save it," he growled suddenly. "Don't think I'm being generous here or kind. If anything, you might even wish for death afterwards."

The confusion she felt must have been obvious for the drakken lord.

"It's nowhere near a slave contract for my satisfaction, but it's still a magical contract."

She shivered.

"If my words go through, you and your little group will fight for the Ironwood Clan for a very long time. You'll be mostly treated like any of our other citizens, but you sure won't get their choice to fight for the clan, because you will fight regardless of your wish."

"...And here I thought that the Ironwood Clan didn't do slavery."

The drakken lord barked out a laugh. "This is punishment, not slavery," he said as he stood up. "Be thankful. The king was agreeable to my suggestions."

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!  
****Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)  
To Forge this Cursed Blade of Mine (Ch. 92)**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes + Sneak Peaks:**


	96. Chapter 96

***_Wandering Spirit_ by Derin Leviathan has been recently updated. It's a spinoff of this story, so give that a go, yeah?!**

***My school started when this chapter was uploaded (Auguest 29th, 2016). So this is my "Back to School" gift to you all! I'm finally back in school, baby!**

***The newest map has also been added, so go check it out. Not much changed though.**

* * *

_**Arc:  
Grinding Labyrinth**_

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 77:**

**[Your HP and MP has been restored to 100%! All debuffs and buffs have been removed!]**

"You were supplied by one of my own citizens?" I asked with narrowed eyes.

The girls before me, the same ones who had attempted assassination of my very person, nodded hesitantly.

"Do you have a name or face?" I asked.

They shook their head this time.

I groaned as I sat back.

Great. Now, I have either spies or dissenters in my own city trying to get me killed. This is a mess. How am I going to catch those spies?

Ping!

**[A new quest has been generated!]**

**[Quest: Sticking those Spies through their Spines**

**Requirement:**  
***Find the spy or the dissenter who provided the ex-assassins with the poison**  
***Root out the entire spy cell**

**Optional:**  
***Root out more than 1 spy cell (Warning: There is a possibility that there are no spies at all)**

**Reward:**  
***+10,000 EXP]**

**[Y/N?]**

I pressed yes. I had to root out spies anyway, so getting EXP for it was good for me.

Now, how was I going to find that spy, hmm?

* * *

Apparently, the Gamer had an answer for that as well.

After I dismissed the girls, who are now all given a probationary position as Highlanders, I called up the Help Box to look for things that could aid me in my new quest. And speaking of quests, I really had to finish my other ones, too.

I digressed.

Back to the point, the Gamer provided with this box called the [Intrigue Page].

It was basically a spy network whose effectiveness was based on my magic and "intrigue."

Now, this new Intrigue was based on my own WIS, INT, and CHA.

**[Intrigue (Stat)**  
_To be discovered or not, that is the question..._  
**Effect: Stat = ((WIS+INT+CHA)/100)^(4/5)**  
**Effect: Intrigue can be influenced by outside forces and events like [Rooting Out Spies] event**  
**Effect: Each point in Intrigue gives Lie Detection LVL)  
Effect: Intrigue determines events and quests]**

**[Lie Detection (LvL 1)**  
_Stop lying, ya bastard. Tell me where you hid the candy_  
**Effect: Can only be LvLed by Intrigue**  
**Effect: +5% chance of Lie Discovery per skill LvL**  
**Effect: Can be countered by skills, events, and traits like [Silver Tongue] trait**  
**Effect: Lies can be detected without this skill, though it is much easier with it]**

Overall, it was a new stat and a new skill for free just by discovering what the Gamer could do.

On that note...

So the thing about Intrigue, I learned, was that if my Intrigue was too low, then I wouldn't know anything. Like, I wouldn't even know if my friend was plotting to kill me in front of me. That was if the Intrigue was at like 2. I was at 7, which the Gamer considered to be "acceptable" for a King that I was. With my Intrigue, I was supposed to have a 35% chance of passively finding out about any hostile spy network per month. It was actually quite nice, though the discovery of the network was limited to one.

However, my Intrigue of 7 was also not good, because it didn't reach the minimum requirement of Active Spy Rooting (Intrigue: 10) and Active Spy Networking (Intrigue: 15).

I even tried to order Senna to try to root spies out, but the command didn't leave my throat. I tried to write down the order, but it came out as a gibberish.

Hell, I try to use my body language, and Senna thought I was trying to woo her!

Thank the Lords, Shirou and Senna patiently let me explain what was going on.

And speaking of Shirou and Senna, those two cranked out new things every day.

If I was not a reincarnated like both of them, I would be amazed at the things they were churning out.

Shirou was a little reluctant with gun improvements, saying that magic was good enough anyway. But at my request, he created the first rifled musket that Andalusia has seen, which had been revealed to the rest of the "Inner Council" while I was in my coma.

Senna, on the other hand, were publishing what the rest of the clan and kingdom was calling "Laws of Justice."

Really, all she was doing was translating the few Japanese and United States constitution, which the Japanese borrowed heavily from, as our own. Again, this was considered by us -Shirou and myself- was incredible.

Just imagine the thousands of words involved.

Yeah. Having memorized that enough to carry it over to one's next reincarnation was -and is- the stuff of legends.

Now, I really wondered what they did in their previous life.

Also, another thing. After I gave Kragnok's son my blessing, I got them to give me an oath to not reveal my action to anyone in any form. They readily agreed.

But enough of that.

As for myself...

"RUTO! RUTO!"

"Damn it, Candy...! Candy!"

I don't think I need to think, but rather I have to start moving my hips more.

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 78:**

Why am I the sore one? Why does my back hurt so much?

Why does Candy look so happy while I suffer?!

Uh... Candy? I'm still sore, honey.

Honey?

Candy?

Ca- oh damn.

Oooohhhhh~ damn...!

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 79:**

... Fuck my life. Oh wait, I am getting fucked by my wife everyday!

I see Candy. Time to ru-!

Shit, I got caught.

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 85:**

After our ... marathon, Candy finally allowed me to continue my "dungeoning."

But she demanded that she be able to join me. She said she needed to work out a bit more.

"But who'll take care of Irowa?" I asked her.

"Senna said she can. She recently hired more secretaries who'll take care of the more mundane paperworks."

"... I didn't know there was a budget for more secretaries."

"Well, there is now," she glared at me, as if she was daring me to object.

I thought about it. Irowa was growing up fast due to her lineage. Her troll half accelerated her physical growth at thrice the speed of a human, orc, or elven child. On the other hand, her Phased half apparently provided her with the improved mental maturation.

Apparently, having lived so long by themselves as Veshta Nerada has caused all evolutions after it to simply be mature, lest they be killed fighting in the wilderness. After all, Veshta Nerada are not singular but swarm in nature. They have to work together.

Such an instinct and maturation rate had transferred over to my daughter, which was good for her.

But I fear that she may be getting betrothal requests sooner or later, because that's how this world worked according to most of my Small Chiefs.

Like I'd let a guy touch her without getting through my inspection first!

"Honey, are you there?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to my wife.

With her leather armor strapped on, she was already ready.

I laughed. "Yup! Let's get going then, shall we?" I asked her.

We strolled through the streets together, greeting the few early risers and merchants who were setting up their shop. Once we reached the main gate, we headed down to the Forest of Curses at a leisurely jogging pace.

When we reached the forest, the sun was just reaching noon.

"Alright, so here's the rule, Candy. If you get injured, we are immediately leaving, got it?" I asked her.

She nodded, and took my proffered hand.

Then we were gone.

* * *

Candy didn't know why her husband set such a ridiculous rule down.

Didn't he know that she was a Phased? One of the races whose control over their own body was ranked high? Other races had to use high level magic to perform the same feats as her race.

She nodded though. She understood his desire to keep her safe.

'What could go wrong?' she thought as she took his hand.

Then they were gone from the world.

She felt the connections to her own shadows break away as the world twisted, shattered, and remolded itself.

When the ripping sensation ended, she was in a completely different location.

For one, nothing was grey and brown.

If one were to describe the Forest of Curses, then it would be a quiet _grey _forest.

This forest was not, and wasn't there a plain valley behind her?

She looked over her shoulder.

Nope, more forest.

This forest was purple, and it _smelled sick_.

She didn't know how or why. She could feel the sickness of twistedness all around her.

"Honey, where are we?" she asked her husband sweetly even as her battle instincts screamed at her.

'GET THE FUCK OUT OF THIS PLACE!'

She whirled around just in time to dodge a spearing ... tree branch?!

Her husband saw it too, but instead of dodging, he-

-dustified it with a single slap.

Though her jaw didn't drop, it was definitely hanging loose in shock. When did her husband get so strong?!

He seemed surprised too, but not much. "You dodged?" he asked her.

So that's what he was surprised about? Not the tree branch being reduced to dust or his own strength?

She chuckled nervously. "You've been holding out on me, honey."

He laughed. "Oh, I know!" he replied.

Then everything changed, and it was familiar. A heaviness washed over her. It was thick and oppressive. This "aura" was one she felt several times before in battlefields.

Her husband had entered his infamous [Berserker] mindset.

The trees seemed to notice it too.

As one, all of the surrounding trees lashed out with many of their branches, all of which Candy dodged as per her instinct's orders. She had to vaporize parts of her own body into shadows to dodge the near five dozens of branches and roots.

Her husband didn't have that option. "Ruto-!" she called out.

All of the branches struck her husband...

And none of them pierced even his skin.

She stared wide eyed. "How?" she muttered to herself.

"[Aegis Shield] sure is useful," her husband chuckled.

She frowned. Aegis Shield? That sounded familiar...

Then her eyes widened. It was a skill that her husband created some time ago! But that skill -or technique?- was purple and hexagonal, and she didn't see anything like that.

Her eyes narrowed as she focused on his body and clothes, and then widened once more as she saw something incredible.

* * *

**[Aegis Shield - Auto Defense]**.

It was a subskill of the [Aegis Shield], and it sure as hell was useful. It used up my mana as much as it exactly needed to block any form of hostile attack upon my person. It required no passive mana input, only active when I was being attacked! If I knew that I was going to get this subskill, I would've trained my [Aegis Shield] to LvL 10 immediately!

On top of that, I used [Reinforce] on the skill before I activated it!

So this was how the math and the action went.

If 100 Physical Damage was done unto me by Tree Branch A here, Aegis Shield would expand necessary mana to cover the area. With 51% damage reduction(due to LvL 10 giving 1% more reduction), magical or physical, the damage necessary to block was reduced to 50 Physical Damage. And since [Aegis Shield] was LvL 10, each layer could block 10 damage, magical or physical! On top of that Reinforcement, which was currently LvL 54, gave me a 54% increase to all form of enhancement!

So once applied with [Rapid Fire], [Reinforcement] gave 540% improvement to whatever it was used upon!

_10 Dmg x 5.4 = 54_

I only needed a single layer to block any attack 100 damage or less! And since all of these branches were giving me the "spearing" and "stabbing" attacks, the area of the attack was ridiculously small too. At 9 MP per second per square meter...

I HAD NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!

My mana reserve was not even going down! Arrows? Fire arrows? Branches?! COME AT ME! I'm now INVINCIBLE!

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

I really couldn't help it, because really, I was now completely covered as things went. My biggest weakness was either a one shot kill or a death by paper cuts. The latter was removed completely from the equation thanks to the [Aegis Shield - Auto Defense] -as long as I had mana that is!

Now, if I could just teach this skill to all of my soldiers...

... Completely impossible -or at least incredibly improbable- and hard. Still, it was a thought worth having.

I lashed out and vaporized all of the tree branches and roots that struck me.

I turned to Candy, who was awe-struck. "Let's have fun, yeah?" I grinned benignly.

* * *

Candy felt the lurch again as they left the "dungeon"; another ability of her husband's that was shrouded in mystery.

But she had learned something about her husband today.

That he was a metaphorical monster.

While she didn't show it, she trained herself too. Most of it was now related to control and mana reserve, but she still did. In the past six months, she felt her mana reserve increase by a tenth of what it was before, and her control over shadows had surpassed her father.

Even then, her husband had gone and shown her that it was not enough.

Her mana reserve and control had improved. Good.

Her husband went and mastered magical defense that would render all of her attacks useless. This was on top of his ever increasing strength, stamina, intellect, and wisdom. And those were on top of his ever increasing ability to rule effectively.

She watched her husband take the lead, humming happily about how much "loot" they had gained.

She could only sigh at the skill gap growing between the two of them.

Once, she thought to stand by his side. He was charsimatic ... for a troll.

Then he built a wooden fort, surprising everyone.

He just grew stronger and stronger.

And then he gave her that _damning _smile. She fell for him. But the bastard didn't move on her. So she moved on him.

She stood by his side through wars. She even stayed with him when he was in a coma for so long when most would have left. It was just natural for her kind to leave.

Yet...

Here, when this kingdom of theirs had reached a height she didn't think it would -because honestly, she thought it was going to burn down in a generation or two-, she found herself lacking.

It angered and saddened her.

"I still have a long road ahead of me..." she muttered to herself.

"Candy? You coming?"

She snapped out of her daze. "Coming, honey!"

* * *

**Interesting News Around the World**  
**Ruto's Year 5 + Day 90:**  
**(Caladrian Calendar June 18th, 890 of the 5th Era)**

*Red Drakken Flight Kingdom has entered an era of true civil war. The rebels, headed by the Greater Woven-Tusk Drakken Clan, wield an army of thirty-three thousand, a quarter of whom are slaves. The loyalists, on the other hand, only hold twenty-five thousand troops after having spent much of their manpower on eastward expansion. On top of this, former Canterrius noble rebels have managed to claim significant portion of the northern territories as their own republic.

*Kingdom of Caladria is also facing a similar problem. The anti-abolition noble rebels have raised an army of thirty thousand. Unlike the Red Flight loyalists in the south, King Lelouch vi Britannia still has more than sixty thousand troops at his back and call, all of whom he deployed on crushing the rebellion.

*Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire finally recovered from its losses in Kermania. And their first act after their recovery was to declare war on the closest former Canterrius Empire nation, the Merchant Republic of Arulia. However, with none of its neighbors giving the orcish empire military access, the empire has to depend on its navy for transportation. This has proven to be a tactical error on the empire's part -the inability to secure military access as well as naval dependence- due to Arulia's extremely competent navy.

*The Order of Black Magnolia, a nation of druids in the Frontier Regions, saw that the wars of the Canterrius lands was beginning to corrupt the very earth that was once considered to be the purest of its neighbors. To counteract this threat of magical and spiritual corruption of the land -and eventually the people- they formed a three way alliance with the Naaman Clan and the Abasul Spiritual Confderation.

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!  
****Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)  
To Forge this Cursed Blade of Mine (Ch. 92)  
Sticking those Spies through their Spines (Ch. 96)**

* * *

**\\-x Akallas von Aerok x-/**

* * *

**Review Replies + Author's Notes + Sneak Peaks:**


	97. Chapter 97

**I have a request for you lot!**

**In the reviews, the first thing thou shall say be the name of a character to be reincarnated!**

**That's it :P**

* * *

**This message goes to other gamer style authors!**

**You all know that I invented the Gamers' Market, and this is what I want to do. To give every relevant gamers the access to this so that we can "talk" with each other through our stories.**

**If you like the idea, send me a pm, yeah?**

* * *

**Also! I have set up a for those who want to give me a cup of milk tea for my work!**

**Just search up "akallas" on the website, and you'll see me. **

* * *

**Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

_**Arc:  
Grinding Labyrinth**_

* * *

**Interlude I **

The golden antenna, as everyone has come to call it, bounced as the man who wielded it slowly moved up and down on his morning walk.

It was early morning, even for the people of Taziaburg. The sun had barely risen above the horizon, and the winds were bone-chilling, if not hazardous to one's uncovered ears.

So why was this man out in the ungodly hour of the dawn?

Because it was his job.

This man was Edward Elric, one of the Three Councilors of the Free Union, the only vassal state to the Ironwood Clan.

He also had a nickname among the people of the Free Union.

They called him "The Old Councilor."

Reasons were the following: he's always grouchy, has wisdom of an old human, employs strict guidance regarding all things, and never ever stops working.

Edward knew what his ... people and peers thought of him. How could he not? He was the de facto leader of the Three Councilors. Even if people whisper behind his back, those words would eventually flow back to him.

Back to what he was doing.

Edward Elric was one of the Three Councilors of the Free Union, and his main job was Research &amp; Development.

Today, his focus was Development.

Traveling with nothing except the clothes on his back, Edward Elric was on a mission to _personally _survey all cities and towns of the Free Union.

Of course, everyone had once told him that it was madness. The number of cities -whose definition was a population over 25,000 people- in the Free Union was over fifty! Too survey all fifty cities by himself was idiocy during an age of bureaucracy and magic!

Edward was quick to explain himself. He would still have the local officials, both civilian and military, survey their own cities. But he would go around and check out the cities with those reports so as to reduce his work.

Which was exactly what he was doing.

The small city of Jiangcho -an odd name among the rest of the cities with endings like -burgs- was a city whose main production was agriculture and lumber. They were surrounded by fast growing trees, _Reinumonus quivoria_, which were sold at moderate high price as exports. Because of this, the city had grown in size to support the ever growing lumber business and the agriculture needed to support the people of the city.

This was Edward's second day here, and he found that the city really had only one minor flaw.

Due to the city's high dependence on the lumber business, or more specifically the company of Quivo Lumber Line, the lumber businesses had too much influence in the lives of Jiangcho's denizens.

Edward didn't like that. He didn't like that at all.

It reminded him of a smaller version of Amestris, where the military had too much control over the lives of everyone, and how the corruption of one single institution had led the entire country to suffer for decades before the corruption was put to an end.

Edward knew what he was thinking about. After all, it was in the act of putting down the second corruption, one created by corrupt politicans and military officers in the New Amestrian Republic, that he had been killed.

At least Truth told the end story to that effort before he was forced to move on.

Speaking of moving on...

"Argh, I have to get to the next town," he muttered to himself as he looked around. "And not a single cart in sight."

He sighed.

Perhaps he was a little dumb when he said he would do this city-checking himself.

* * *

**Interlude 2**

Dienstardt Anhalt, otherwise known in his previous life as the Lich King, stared at the army before him. We shall refer to him as Arthas for now.

"Are you kidding me?!" he roared.

A few months, he had arrived at the capital of the Kingdom of Galburia, and from there, he was ushered in to an audience with the king and his advisors.

Trouble started right off the bat, for one must recognize that the followers of Path of Light, like Arthas, abhored the worshipers of Ankh, the Galburian Patron God of Slavery and vice versa. In fact, if it wasn't for the Luvanstrum Pact of 833, which declared that within the Kingdom of Galburia the Path of Light was to be considered a supporting secondary religion and thus protected, there would have been civil war every other decade.

It was no surprise to Arthas that the moment he met with the zealous followers of Ankh in the war meeting, they broke out into a fight immediately. The Ecclesiarch of Ankh immediately insulted Arthas over his choice in religion and insulted the Holy Creator and his Light.

Arthas spat back about how Ankh used to be a demon who rose to godhood because his follower's wife's best friend killed a god for his friend.

The ecclesiarch took offense and threw the Holy Book of Ankh.

Arthas threw the man out of the room.

Surprisingly, the king laughed with mirth rather than chastising Arthas. the reason?

"The ecclesiarch lost his son to a Path of Light nun. He lost his only successor, and the Dynastic Ecclesiarchy Family of Iopthus will soon come to an end along with its three hundred year history."

Imagine how much the man must hate the followers of Path of Light.

Unfortunately, the trouble continued as Arthas was told about how he was going to help prepare the Galburian armies against the Ironwood Clan.

Or rather how he was going to be the _sole _leader in charge of such an effort.

While they had riled up enough of the nobles to hamper Ironwood's war efforts -by diverting their forces to defense rather than training-, the Kingdom of Galburia apparently was not ready to wage war! All they had was the funds and none of the planning of war!

Arthas nearly popped a vein on the spot.

So here he stood in front of an army. The only army the king and his sycophants were able to gather.

A single army of ten thousand men.

Arthas couldn't help but sigh.

It wasn't even an army! Even if all of these men were armed to the teeth and sent out to fight the Ironwood Clan _right now _in their recruitment phase, they would get their ass kicked! This was a royal disaster, and he was expected to fix it.

And then lead them to war.

"Sometimes, I miss the mindless undead army of mine," he muttered to himself. "They don't need maintenance or training."

Regardless of his wishes, it was time for him to do his duty to the realm as his oath as a baron of the Kingdom of Galburia demanded.

* * *

**Interlude 3**

If there was one race in all of Andalusia sought for their strength, all rulers would point to one single race.

Fanalis.

As the thirtieth race to appear in Andalusia, they received much acclaim for their righteousness and honor. However, this also made them enemies of several states who suffered from their actions.

Unfortunately, such a fame and demand for their warriors -and women- had resulted in the decimation of the Fanalis people. Their misfortune was compounded by the fact that the majority of the Fanalis lived on de jure lands of Galburia when the nation formed. What would be known as the Red Road From Home, fanalis fled Galburia and emerged in the lands of Kalevania, an ancient rival of Galburia when mass enslavement of the race began.

This place too was a land of misfortune. While the fanalis were received, they were not allowed to settle without giving a _substantial _return for such permission.

Like serving in the army.

Like serving the count.

Like serving the duke.

Like serving the king.

And so on.

Recruiters from many of Kalevanian lords came, and every time, a few of the fanalis men left, never to come back. Well, they would eventually when their bodies were returned, which was more often than not. If that was not enough, there would sometimes be kidnapping of helpless babies, the only fanalis incapable of fighting back.

Tired of the constant deaths surrounding them, the fanalis gathered as one and embraced death...

Or rather, the business of death.

They formed the Nes'Giorgca Fanalis, the New Lantern Festival, a mercenary clan for hire.

Instead of being forced to fight, though, they chose what they wanted, and they moved about to prevent anyone from hunting them down. The threat of more than three hundred fanalis raining down any perpetrator and their constant movement was enough to deter most.

But they were sick and tired of war.

For the past several hundred years, they had fought and fought and fought and fought...

They were tired of it now.

But a news had arrived from a brethren to their north.

A nation of monster races had risen, but they possess far superior morals than any of its neighbors.

A chance?

Half of the clan was suspicious while the other half was hopeful.

The leaders were cautious.

The clan head sent spies ahead to see if the positive rumors regarding the Ironwood Clan was true. For a whole year, the spies lived there, and when they came back to report, they were genuinely happy.

For they had found a place the fanalis might be able to truly settle down without having to worry about being forced to kill. Being forced to war.

Oh, everyone knew of the upcoming war between Ironwood Clan and the Kingdom of Galburia, but many within the clan, after the confirmation of spies, saw this as a chance to get back at their ancient enemy.

And so the leaders of the Nes'Giorgca Fanalis sent a diplomat, asking for permission to settle in the Ironwood Clan's territory and to become one of its people.

The messenger hawk went away with the terms, and it came back with the Ironwood King's own personal letter to the fanalis.

"We welcome you."

It was a joyous day for the fanalis, for they had found home.

* * *

A month after they had received the letter, the entirety of the Nes'Giorgca Fanalis arrived at the Valley of Curses.

What a foreboding and yet awe inspiring valley it was.

At the bottom of the valley was the infamous Forest of Curses, where an invading Galburian army had been smashed and swept aside by the trees themselves.

Yet through this forest and around it were roads of supreme quality. Even mercenary captains who had experienced the splendors of foreign courts were amazed at the quality found _outside of the capital_. While it was normal for "highway" roads of a nation, those taken care of for economic and military reasons, to be of high quality, these roads were more than that.

Then there was the city itself, looming over the valley from where it sat on top of a near-plateau.

A city of dark grey walls and proud flags.

A city of civilized monsters.

A city of hope.

* * *

**Interlude 4:**

"This is unacceptable!"

While the Ironwood City -and the Ironwood Clan- was a place of salvation for many, it was also a target of hatred and rage.

After all, was it not Ironwood Clan who took over the peaceful lands of Revyola and Kan when a true peacekeeper who have simply removed the lands' rulers?

Most of the people at first enjoyed the new rulership for the law of King Ruto and his clan was just.

However, like as PEOPLE do, they forgot that King Ruto was a troll. Because they had only heard about his just laws and prowess on the battlefield, they believed that he was going to be their protector. That he was going to be _their _champion.

As people do, they forgot that while King Ruto _could _become their champion, he was a troll first and foremost, and the blood of his people lay strong in Ironwood City, not those of Revyola or Kan.

Most humans villages, cities, and towns of Revyola and Kan were thus shocked to see Monster Races and True Races they were formerly hostile or unknown to them come and settle in their cities and lands. The fact that these newcomers went through all of the necessary procedures and documents that the new laws required of them was not their concern.

"These are our lands, not the lands of tauren!" a man shouted at the top of his lungs to the audience before him. "Our ancestors shed blood and sweat to cultivate these lands! We must throw them out!"

"YEAH!" the disgruntled humans shouted back in agreement.

"Why should we follow these ... monsters who've killed us for a thousand years? They have raided our homes, and now they come as conquerors? This is unacceptable!"

"YEAH!"

"We will drive them back out!"

"YEAH!"

"For the People of Revyola!"

"FOR THE PEOPLE OF REVYOLA!"

* * *

However malicious sounding it may be, these were normal reactions.

After all, if strangers came to a town and settled in en masse when they looked different from the original townspeople and whose races were known to be hostile to humans like the townspeople?

Of course they were going to be afraid and angry!

So they turned on the very law they had praised mere months before, and began to plot for the demise of their newest rulers.

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!  
****Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)  
To Forge this Cursed Blade of Mine (Ch. 92)  
Sticking those Spies through their Spines (Ch. 96)**


	98. Chapter 98

**Been a while since I updated, right?**

* * *

**This chapter gave me some problems because I needed to put out a chapter that went beyond just people adoring Ruto and a chapter beyond just the "higher-ups" in the scene. I needed the result of this to be out there and for such a result to come back to Ruto as either people or reports.**

* * *

**Fixed 9-23-2016**

* * *

_**Arc:  
Grinding Labyrinth**_

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 114:**

I bowed to the diplomats who bowed in return. There was an exchange of farewells, and they were gone.

The diplomats from the Great Flotilla of Arier, a nation of fleets. Apparently, the news that a very friendly nation had conquered the unfriendly ports once belonging to Duchy of Kan had prompted them to send a diplomat to see how my people and I would react to them.

Sufficed to say, I was favorable. They came to me as humble people. They didn't like slavery because slavers and their raids was the main reason for their loss of ancestral home, so we shared a commonality there.

Composed of three aquatic races, the people of the Arier were not interested in settling down. In fact, they were going to be moving on to the Great Devastation Sea within three years.

What they were looking for was a friendly port to trade from when they did come by the area.

What I just did with them was a simple trade treaty.

There was a bit of a haggling between us as our currencies differed, but eventually, we came to a simple agreement.

_Trade Agreement between Ironwood Clan and the Great Flotilla of Arier_

_I, King Ruto, agree to allow the merchants of the Great Flotilla of Arier to trade on the ports of Kan territories and states for the next twelve months without tax or tariff. After twelfth month, the Trade Laws of Ironwood will apply as normal with an extra hundred kilograms of gold or its equivalent supplied to the Ironwood Clan by the Great Flotilla of Arier as compensation for the first year of no tax. All of this will only apply to the ports of former Duchy of Kan. Everywhere else, the merchants would have to pay the tax as law demands._

_I, Chief Diplomat G'Uria Viulom of the Great Flotilla of Arier to the Ironwood Clan, agree to the statements._

_June 28th, 980 of the Fifth Era of the Caladrian Calendar_

_Signed,_  
_King Ruto of Ironwood Clan_

_Signed,_  
_Chief Diplomat G'Uria Viulom of the Great Flotilla of Arier_

As I said, simple and easy.

Now, the diplomat was very much interested in getting me to marry so as to establish a non-aggression pact between our two nations, but I told him that I was not interested in marriage nor was I interested in attacking what was from my perspective a refugee fleet that never found their own home on land or underwater -since they were aquatic races.

Still, they were stubborn enough to get me to allow a small colony of theirs to exist outside my maritime borders. We weren't allies, though. Just neighbors. They wanted my permission because they didn't want to make themselves look like they were encroaching on my territory. Of course, the bloody diplomat didn't just say it. He went on and on about how the colony could benefit both of our nations.

Seriously, I get it. Just shut up.

Also, they were the fifth diplomat I had met in the past week.

After our training at the Forest of Curses, Candy went to split her time between personal improvements and taking care of Irowa, or as we were calling her now, Rowa. I, on the other hand, could not escape the bureaucracies of my nation went Shirou went down with a fever, so instead of Senna and Shirou meeting the diplomats in my stead, I was told to meet them personally.

I had already met the diplomats and representatives from the following groups and nations:

The Nes'Giorgca Fanalis, Hidden Village of Moving Spiders, the Great Flotilla of Arier, Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi, and the South Kermania.

And of course, the Grand Duchess of Sarang, Minerva Managot. She was as demanding and flirtatious as ever. But she was just "visiting" and was not really a diplomat.

"Who's next on the list?" I asked my new secretary.

The woman in question was an Oni from one of the newer vassal clans to join the Ironwood Clan, and her name was Annalise. She said she didn't have a last name, and that was that.

"We havefour representatives of the merchants and landowners from West Mari, East Mari, and territories of Kan."

"What are they here for?" I groaned. I may have asked, but both Annalise and I knew that it was rhetorical question.

Merchants were becoming the bane of my administrative work. They were always demanding something, asking for change, and disrespecting the hard working and fighting classes of the clan. There were exceptions among the merchants who respected the workers and fighters, of course, but they were exactly that: exceptions. A minority.

And the funniest bit? If all of the merchants pooled their money together, they wouldn't even possess as much wealth as the clan.

Now, it is true that the clan had been running a deficit shortly after my Pollodium fiasco and the "Gold Dump" inflation. However, I managed to work out a methodology to increase the clan's income as a side project.

The idea was simple.

Export. Export like crazy.

The real issue became who to trust this control of exports, what to export, and what to subsidize -the last of these was a subject still foggy to me; I get that the clan can encourage business by loaning them money or decreasing tax for a few exceptional people, but to do that for the entire nation's worth of people?

The merchants were trying to gain the rights to the exports. From their perspective, they were the rightful dealers of finances and trade for any kingdom as they were the ones directing the flow of trade according to profit. The way they seek after profit was ... unnerving.

I had denied them once, and I knew that this would be another attempt at getting control over my nation's economy.

I shall greet them as such, but as Senna taught me, I must be polite when dealing with people... even if they are asshole merchants who can't be satisfied with what they have and come after me with unreasonable demands.

"And the meeting time?" I asked her.

She looked at the tiny leather covered agenda-book. "They will come to Your Majesty's Public Office 4 hours from now."

I nodded. 4 hours would be enough time for my own rest.

Preferably one without Candy trying to ride me.

Being half-troll, Irowa was a very fast growing child. She was now only 7 months old, and yet she was capable crawling and eating solid food. She was trying to stand up now -and my heart kept on bursting every time I saw her try to stand and fall down- and was now being handled by some of the daycare nurses.

Candy had begun to train herself in earnest, but this has resulted in some ... side effects.

Like driving me crazy every night with her sex drive.

There is a point when a man's golden scepter can no longer function properly; my endurance on bed was shit compared to hers!

My face must be blushing right now, because Annalise was chuckling.

"Are my thoughts so obvious?"

She shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not."

"Ugh."

"Cheer up, Your Majesty. You are living your kind's daydream."

"My kind?" Was she referring to trolls?

"Men, Your Majesty. Men dream of sex all the time, no?"

"... It feels like you're telling me that I am not a man."

Annalise merely chuckled as she left his office.

With her gone, I began to think. I had 4 hours, counting down. 4 hours was enough for a lot of things.

"... I certianly could go play with Rowa," I grinned to myself, thinking about how happy Rowa would be to see her daddy.

* * *

Our reunion of the day was not as happy as I had imagined it to be.

Rowa's wetnurses, Laune and Hanna, were troubled because no matter what they did, Rowa kept on crying.

It was only when I got there that she apparently stopped.

"Rowa, what's wrong, dear?" I asked her as I reached out.

But faster than I expected, she was latched onto me and began to cry again.

I lightly lifted her up so that my arms cradled her. "What's wrong?" I asked her, even though I knew that she couldn't really respond.

"I think she was scared without you or your wife here, Your Majesty," Laune replied for Rowa.

I chuckled a little.

Was I ever like Rowa? Scared because someone was missing in my life for even a moment?

... No, not really.

"Is this a children thing?" I asked her.

She nodded, though she seemed to be perplexed that I didn't know this. It wasn't so much as it was written in the face, but it was me [Observing] her.

It took a moment for Rowa to calm down, and soon after that, she fell asleep.

"I wonder if it'll be like this every time," I murmured to myself.

"She'll grow out of it eventually, Your Majesty."

I dismissed the wetnurses and carried her to her bedroom.

Her bedroom was right next to Candy and my bedroom. It was a room just a tad smaller, which was actually a bit bigger than the master bedrooms of the townhouses in the nearest residential areas.

Her new bed, which was no longer a crib, sat on the other side of the room from the door.

I walked over to it gingerly, and placed her gently. I pulled up the chair next to the bed, and sat next to the bed for the next hour, content to watch my daughter sleep with that beautiful and peaceful face of hers.

I wonder if my own parents -in my previous life- had done these things for me. I never knew them nor learned about them.

...

It kinda stung a little, but only a little.

* * *

For the next two hours, I was with the warriors of the Highlanders, drilling them into the ground on strength and endurance exercises.

Juras, the strongest of the Highlanders, grunted as he jumped back from my vertical sword strike. Unlike most of the Highlanders, Juras personally knew the strength that I struck with. Knowing this, he chose to dodge whenever possible. He and I both knew that he would not be able to fight for long if he blocked many times.

I let go of the sword just as it dug into the ground, and without the support of my arms, it bounced up as the force it was brought down with no longer had anywhere to go to. And my, did it bounce. A second after it struck the ground, it was actually above my eye level.

I didn't waste my time looking at the bouncing sword for more than a glance though. I dashed forward and under the bouncing sword, crossing a 4 meter distance between us with ease. I spun around as I reached Juras, and halfway in my spin, I _grabbed _the bouncing sword midair and used my momentum to strike.

Juras had no distance, time, or room to dodge. He held his own sword up, and took my blow like a man.

The sword he held bent in half, and the concussive force of my strike sent him tumbling backwards.

He rolled away before pushing up into the air. He flipped once in the air before landing on his feet.

Then he moaned.

"Goddamn it, that hurts, Ruto~!" he whined like a little kid.

I scoffed as I lost my combat stance and swung my own bent sword over my shoulder. "And you call yourself a S-ranker. How sad," I replied.

He glared at me. "Says the bloody SSS-ranker!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Since when was I a SSS-ranker?"

"Since you took me down right there," he said, glaring at where he had been standing before my spin-strike. "In less than five seconds." Indeed. It had been less than ten seconds since the practice duel began between us, and half of it was spent on gauging him. He continued to talk as he dropped his bent sword, glaring at it accusingly. "We used the same equipment, but you forced mine to _break_ with a single strike. If you used a technique for that, I would've been fine with it; SS-ranker techniques often break shit. But you? You broke this sword with nothing but your _brute _strength!"

Then Juras groaned as he fell down on his knees.

I quickly [Observed] him, and I saw that he had been hit been [Fatigue] and [Ego Wounded] debuff.

"What's wrong?" I asked, knowing what was exactly wrong.

"I put all my goddamn strength into that block," he grumbled back at me as he stood up slowly. "And it did shit."

"...Maybe I should call your sister-"

There was a zip in the wind, and Juras was kowtowing right in front of me. "Please don't call my sister."

I laughed. "I was joking! Even I don't want your sister around right now."

And that was the truth.

Minerva Managot, the Bloodthirsty Grand Duchess of Sarang, was a crazy woman, and was known to everyone as such. She got along with me as well as a wood did to fire; fire tried to devour wood.

This applied to everyone else too.

Soldiers toiled under her extreme training regime, workers jumped in fright from her demands for perfection, and nobles crept away in fear of being singled out for "noble duels."

But she was a loved and fair ruler -if a bit iron-fisted in some ways.

And she loved to visit my city, and put me and her brother on our toes.

Absolute monster.

Oh, she was weaker than me, yes, but she was definitely stronger than her brother.

No, she kept me on my toes not in combat -which she still demanded- but with her stalking.

I couldn't exactly forbid her from stalking me. I already tried once. Not only would she take take my refusal as me being hard-to-get, she would just take it as a challenge to become a better stalker.

"Have you been training, though?" I asked Juras as we left the training field.

He grimaced. "I've been trying."

"Trying..."

"My wife ... demands a lot of my stamina."

"...Pfft."

"Oi."

"What? You have good fortune."

"I'm being drained down to the bedrock. It ain't funny."

* * *

In the last hour before the representatives of my conquered territories were coming to visit me, I washed myself and took to discussing with Riddle and Kragnok the possibilities of rooting out the spies in my city.

Or dissenters.

"How are things on your side going, Lord Scorchscale?" I asked.

The orange and white scaled drakken grunted. "My people have told me that there are no dissenters or spies within the Third Ring. We have searched the Second Ring as well, and found little evidence of dissenter there," the clan head of the Scorchscale Drakkens replied. "We did, however, find a small red light alley."

I frowned.

Red light district was something I had not forbidden. Indeed, at the behest of Senna and Shirou, whose otherworldly societal knowledge was something I still couldn't quite grasp, I enforced the [Edict of Clean Business].

The edict didn't strictly say anything about legalizing or illegalizing red light districts. Rather, instead of telling people what they can't and can do, it was an edict of what they _should _do if they want to run a business.

The Edict of Clean Business was thus an edict detailing what a proper business worthy of its licenses should be.

One, their business grounds should be clean unless it is required to be otherwise. A distillery can't have a filthy room or the beers were going to be contaminated, right? A brothel also couldn't have a filthy room or there were going to be infections.

Two, all businesses are held accountable for any disease its employees, part time or full time, might catch while working onsite of their business.

Three, all businesses shall report any form of disease or maladies their employees catch to the Health Administration Department. q

So on and so on.

Of course, this meant more paperwork for the businesses and they certainly didn't like that. On the other hand, the regular workers of the Ironwood Clan were throwing a holiday party in my name, despite the fact that I emphasized Shirou and Senna's more significant role in the Edict of Clean Business.

I was seriously considering just giving Shirou and Senna some kind of high nobility titles so that I can tell everyone how awesome they are.

"Riddle?"

"I did hear about a possibility of a dissenter who may be living in the outskirt of our city," she replied with a frown. "But even then, there are no details about who and where this dissenter is."

"I see," I replied, not having anything else to say. It was troubling to say the least. Spy or dissenter, both were bad news, but if they didn't act, they could be left alone. But actively working against the clan? "That is bad news, isn't it?" I asked them. "It'll be harder to identify who this is because we can't infiltrate them or pick them out."

What was worse was that the trio of mercenaries who had ambushed me knew nothing of this guy. I had the magicians pick at their brain just to make sure -apparently, they could do such a thing- and they found nothing.

They nodded in agreement.

I sighed. "Just keep your people looking out for this dissenter and any others. I don't want to punish anyone if they haven't done something to warrant it, but I need this poison provider found to serve as example," I grinned maliciously.

Oh, I had plans for the bastard.

"Alright, it's time for me to meet these ... 'representatives,'" I said out loud.

The Scorchscale and Riddle knew a dismissal when they heard it and left.

* * *

The representatives were the following:

A human man dressed like a merchant.

A human woman dressed in what I learned to be the traditional garb of the "high nobility" of the former Duchy of Revyola.

And surprisingly, a gnome man.

"Welcome to Ironwood City," I greeted them amicably even as I used my [Observe] on them.

The human merchant was actually a quarter Oni and quarter elf. He was here on behalf of the Marian Merchant Guild who felt that their rights had been infringed upon.

The human woman was from one of the few nobility of the former Revyolan and Kanian I spared for their willingness to abandon the "old ways." Mother of ten -holy poptards and trombone on a pogostick-, Lady Schilon was a 24 year old noble countess. She was here to discuss the way that the Ironwood laws provided no protection for the nobles of conquered states, which was a fairly good point that I managed to miss.

The gnome was the oddest of them all.

He won a tournament to come here.

...

Well, at least this talk was going to be rather interesting.

All three of them bowed after they entered the room.

"Thank you for your welcome, Your Highness," Lady Schilon replied as she withdrew her curtsy. "I'm hopeful that our talks will be fruitful."

The gnome straightened himself, but didn't say anything.

The merchant had this air of self-superiority about him, which was a bit justifiable considering that my [Observe] showed me that his total asset was somewhere in the dozens of thousands of gold coins. He was a man whose riches rivaled small nations. "It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness," he replied with a nod.

"Please, take a seat," I said to them, gesturing to the offered seats.

They did so.

And the first one to open up was, unsurprisingly, the merchant.

"My lord, if I may," he asked.

I nodded.

"Ever since you've conquered the lands of Revyola, the merchants there have suffered, sire."

"How so?"

"Why, our profits have been down and the taxes are high! We haven't been able to properly pay our employees!"

I narrowed my eyes.

"...You are one of the richest man in my nation, and you can't pay your employees?" I growled.

The merchant quickly put up his hands. "Your Majesty, please, allow me to explain!" he said quickly, and I nodded. "Ever since your conquest of Revyola and Kan, the lands of those duchies have been cut off from their usual trade partners, namely those of the Galburian side. However, because you and Galburia have been embargoes on each other, trade has come to a grinding halt in regards to them." He paused, looking for an approval to continue. I nodded and told him to continue. "And that's where I can't pay them.

"Workers are not paid on how much time they spend but rather on how much they make. My warehouse workers are paid according to how much goods they help move and move on their own. The linen makers are paid on how many yards they produce with a given resource. But with the trade cut off, this caused a serious cut into demands, and with no demands, there are no products to be sold, and if there are no products to be sold..."

"You can't pay your workers," I replied. It was a reasonable system, and I almost got mad before hearing about it.

He nodded. "What I ask is that your highness lift tariffs and taxes for even a short while so that my fellow merchants and I can shift those money to paying our workers."

"...And how will this be enforced? I'm sure there are those who would try to find loopholes or bend the laws, especially with a most lucrative suspension of taxes and tariffs," I asked.

He reached into his robes and pulled out a sheet of paper.

There were names on them.

All of them were written in blood.

"These are the names of merchants, including myself, written in blood. Should you desire it, your majesty, we shall submit our blood names to a magical contract for the duration of tax suspension," he said with a sitting bow.

I was surprised.

From what I learned from Riddle in our short magic tutor sessions, blood magic was a binding stuff. Willing given like how the merchants and landowners have done on this paper, I could even make them slaves if I wanted to.

"You are putting a lot of faith in me," I replied quietly. I didn't know whether to be honored or disturbed.

There were more than a hundred names on the list, and I saw Lady Schilon's name on the list as well.

I glanced at her finger, and sure enough, I saw a small cut which had its scab fall off just a short while ago.

"You have proven yourself to those of us educated. Your reforms within and outside of the capital have boosted the living standards of many, poor and rich. You have always kept your word, even if such words were used for war before, and we believe that you will not use this chance to abuse your power."

I nodded slowly. "... Then I shall agree to this request of yours, Merchant ..."

"Schinder, your majesty."

"Alright, Merchant Schlinder. We shall discuss the minutia of this agreement later on, but for now, consider it accepted."

"Thank you."

* * *

The gnome was there, apparently, to give Mr. Schinder the support he would have needed if I had refused as was Lady Schilon. With me agreeing to such humanist approach quickly, which they hadn't expected, the meeting was done with quickly and quietly.

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Current Quests:  
**

**Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!  
****Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)  
To Forge this Cursed Blade of Mine (Ch. 92)  
Sticking those Spies through their Spines (Ch. 96)**


	99. Chapter 99

**Thank you all for your OC submissions, but I'll not be accepting them anymore. **

* * *

_**Arc:  
Grinding Labyrinth**_

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 131:**

My hands slammed upon the table.

"Are you certain?" I asked with a hiss and narrowed eyes. Had I seen myself in the mirror that instant, I would have seen some kind of unholy fire behind my eyes, but alas, I did not. The retainers, servants, and Small Chiefs, though, did tell me that I looked absolutely serious.

And why the fuck wouldn't I be?

My Dwarven Small Chief just came up to me and told me that one of the dwarven immigrants knew how to construct a Lava Furnace!

Finally, after all this time, I will be able to complete my quest-!

"But ..."

I froze.

Please don't tell me I heard that dreaded word.

"But we need some rather ... serious resources."

I slowly nodded. "What exactly are these... resources?" I asked calmly.

Golthaum seemed to notice my change in behavior and how much it reminded him of the calm before the storm. He quickly gave me a list written on paper.

I quickly snatched it out of his hand and looked over it.

And gawked.

_1.3 tons of raw obsidian_  
_200 kilograms of titanium_  
_500 kilograms of nickel_  
_130 kilograms of iron_  
_15 Grade B Void Stone_

And on the very bottom was a note written and circled in red.

_1.8 mL of pure liquid magic_

I stared at the last bit. To me, it seemed like the first five requirements were more astounding.

"Umm, what's this liquid magic stuff?" I asked Golthaum.

He looked surprised, and I was confused.

Was this something that I was supposed to know?

"When I saw you making 'hat armor, I thought you were a craftsmen, but I suppose not?" he asked me.

I scratched the back of my head. "Well, it's certainly not my main concern," I replied. "It's ... more of a hobby and a side project that gets my attention once in a while."

He nodded. "Well then, I suppose you never had a formal teacher to give ya the rundown then?" he asked again.

I nodded. "I just started on my own."

He just gave me this obnoxious stare for a while before shaking his head. "Less than a decade old, and a prodigy of so many things. Yer definitely doing things right, ya are," he answered. "Well, I suppose I can tell ya what they are. Liquid magic is ... well, liquid form of everyone's magic. It's not hard to make, but it is hard to gather."

I frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, ya see, if I remember my experience right, it takes an average wizard almost all of his reserve mana to make a drop of liquid magic, and it's not even pure.

"A drop of liquid magic made by an average wizard in a ritual room is about half liquid magic and the other half is ambient magic and lifeforce of the material they used. Then you have to distill your impure liquid magic to remove all of the impurities, and you only get a hundredth of the original sample back because of how inefficient most magic distilleries are."

Ping!

**[You have discovered a strategic resource!]**

**[Liquid Magic**  
**Quality: Rare**  
**Desc: Extracted from all things magical, liquid magic is the most dense and pure form of mana (but this is because no one has managed to make solid magic yet). It was one of the most powerful fuel sources that one can use in anything, and depending on what magic is used with it, can grant pseudo immortality!**  
**Price Range: 90,000,000 gold coins per liter or 4,500 gold coins per drop]**

I gawked at the price.

Then I looked at its crafting formula.

For one drop of I needed a glass container, preferably one enchanted to keep even the faintest of things in and out, and ...

**[Magic Extractor + 1,500 units of mana (Warning: Draining large quantity of mana at once hampers mana regeneration significantly)(Estimated # of times Gamer can make a drop per day: 2)]**

Holy shit, all of my mana reserve. If I make two drop, I can't do anything for the entire day.

My brain stilled for a moment as everything functioning went towards calculating exactly how much I needed.

_90,000,000/(1 L) = 4,500/(x)_  
_x = 1/20,000_  
_1L/20,000 = (1/20) mL_

_1.8 mL = 2x(1/20) mL_  
_x = 18 days_

Then my calculations came to a streaking halt.

"Wait," I muttered as I turned to Golthaum. "Impure?"

He nodded. "About 50%. So you have to distill the impure liquid magic for about two weeks. You also can't add new liquid magic during the distillation because it messes up the entire process."

_(18x2)(2) = 72_

I blinked.

72 days of using no mana, if only I did this. Two months and then some of not using my mana.

"I assume you can build us a Magic Extractor?" I asked him, and Golthaum nodded. "Good, get started on it."

4,500 gold per drop. I would never be able to pay anyone off... But I can certainly ask my friends to help me.

* * *

Senna nodded. "Okay, but I want more funds for the Administratum for this," she replied.

I gave her a thumbs up.

* * *

Shirou was reluctant to, knowing that the liquid magic will be used to fuel our clan's gears of war, because that's what the Lava Furnace essentially was. However, he eventually agreed for one stipulation.

"15% of all production from Lava Furnace must go to civilians as tools, not weapons."

I agreed.

* * *

Riddle refused. The succubi culture revolved around mana and magic, she explained. To give mana outside of emergency situation was to agree to marry.

I agreed; that was a no go.

* * *

I asked the Blue Cataclysm Mages, who were my subordinates, with the strict warning that it was by no means demanded of them.

About five of them agreed to give me their mana for this project.

* * *

Overall, I now had eight people involved in generating liquid magic, so it was good. Now, instead of 72 days, we only had to wait for 31 days.

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 132:**

I groaned as I tried to get up from my bed, but ultimately failed in doing so.

Next to me, seven others were in similar shape.

I never knew that draining mana so fast would be this _fucking painful_. I am never asking anyone to go through this voluntarily...

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 138:**

Three of the mages dropped out. The pain was too much for them.

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 142:**

The final two mages dropped out. They had held on for a long time.

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 157:**

Senna could no longer do it. Shirou demanded her to stop, and she obeyed.

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 160:**

_Is this the real life?_  
_Is this jut fantasy...?_  
_Caught in this painful scheme_  
_The pain is overwhelming..._

Why the fuck did I want this furnace so bad?

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 163: **

Senna demanded Shirou drop out, and against the man's own protest, he was forced to quit.

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 170:**

Candy forced me to quit.

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 171:**

Ping!

**[You've fully rested! 100% restoration to HP and MP, and debuffs nullified!]**

I groaned as I sat up.

And promptly froze as I fond myself under the glare of three people.

I laughed nervously.

"Our promises?" Senna demanded. She was smiling despite what she had gone through, but she was definitely not happy. Oh no. Her smile did not reach her cold, cold eyes. Her hands were held politely in front of her as if she was pleading, but the magic around her was volatile like an explosive force just barely contained.

Shirou was worse. He didn't even ask. He just raised his eyebrow and pulled out a "monster-slaying" sword.

Candy was just glaring at everyone.

"Aight," I whimpered.

I fulfilled all of the promises I had made, and I got a Lava Furnace out of it.

...

It was not fucking worth it.

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 185:**

After a few day's worth of _mental_ rest, I was ready.

Today's plan was simple: complete the Lava Furnace quest, which required that I go right up to it and confirm that it is indded mine or my clan's.

I made my way across the city, greeting the early risers and left the city. I walked down the winding cliff-entrance of my city and down to the ground level of the valley.

I entered the underground city of the Dhan'Thal clan.

My eyes widened.

"You guys have been building ... down rather studiously, haven't you?" I asked no one in particular as I stepped through the ten meter high metal gates of Dhan'Thalrodan.

Dhanrodan was an agreement between the Dhan'Thal Clan and the Ironwood Clan. The former would become the latter vassal, and the lord would guarantee its vassal the right to mine and build in the tunnels of all Ironwood Clan territory. The overall authority would remain with the Small Chief Council and ultimately myself, but they were allowed to do whatever they wished within the mines as long as it was within the confines of the law.

And my my my... did they do a lot.

Before me stood the Dhan'Thalrodan, the City of the Dhan'Thal Clan. Instead of spreading outwards as Ironwood City had done, Dhan'Thalrodan had dug _down_. So now, there was a city underneath a city, which had dug down.

'I mean, I was here about a year ago, and this place got even deeper!' I thought to myself as I stared down.

The hole which sat as the center for the Dhan'Thalrodan became narrower as it moved down but not by a large degree. The size of the Dhan'Thalrodan was half the size of Ironwood City, but it was as lively as the city above. What was great about Dhan'Thalrodan was its lights. Due to being deep inside the plateau with its lower levels even further underground, the Dhan'Thal Clan had moved on from using external light source (using series of mirrors to let light in) to using magic light sources.

And they came in variety of colors. In the darkness that was the city, there was a thousand and then some lights of varying colors shining out like a very bright night sky. It was scene that I knew that Dhan'Thal Clan held proud.

I recognized most of the residents being either a dwarf or kobold.

As I walked through these unfamiliar streets, dwarves and kobolds alike bowed to me. I greeted them in return, and I eventually made my way to where I last remembered the Dhan'Thal Forges were.

It was a loud place. Veteran blacksmiths pounded away at hot iron in droves.

"Your Majesty."

I looked around for the owner of the voice and found Golthaum. I grinned. "It's been a while, Golthaum," I greeted.

The dwarf just gave me this stare before sighing loudly. "You are reckless as you are bold, your majesty..." he grumbled. "Who in their right mind goes and does ... that?!"

By 'that,' I think he's referring to my episode of a month and a half worth of pain and suffering.

I shivered.

"Yeah, I don't know why I decided it was worth it," I replied. "But hey! At least we get to enjoy the fruit of our effort, right?"

Golthaum, despite being much more cheerful and polite than his predecessor, grunted. "I assume you want to forge something yourself today? You wouldn't have come here otherwise."

I nodded. "I need the Lava Furnace for it."

He nodded to show me that he understood. "It drove you that far, did it?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"If you say so."

He led me along the furnaces and forges until we came to stand in front of a tower of a furnace. Its black vitreous surface glowed ominously with dark red and blue glow from the lava and liquid magic held within it. The "veins" of liquid magic pulsed silently in the background of the lava while everything was obscured by the opaqueness of the obsidian.

I touched it.

Ping!

**[You have completed a quest!]**

**[Lava Furnace? Is that safe?!**

**Reward:**  
***+3 LvL]**

Ping!

**[LvL Up!x3**  
**+54 END]**

I smiled before it turned into a grin. "Time to start pounding, eh?"

Now, for the design...

* * *

Ping!

**[You have completed a quest!]**

**[To Forge This Cursed Blade of Mine**

**Reward:**  
***+5 LvL**  
***[Curse-Oozing Soul Blade]]**

* * *

-【AkA】-

* * *

**Interlude (Reincarnation of Two Friends)**

A young woman sighed as she woke up. She stretched her arms and legs out with a small smile.

Today was another wonderful day.

Sun was shining bright, she could smell her mother's breakfast cooking, and she definitely could hear the sounds of morning shoutfest of the local market district.

She pushed the bedquilt aside and walked downstairs, leaning her head back a little so that she wouldn't hit her head on the staircase ceiling.

"Hi mom," she said quietly.

Her mother, a woman of perhaps late 50's, looked over her shoulder. "Oh, it's been a while since you woke up early. Something wrong dear?"

She shook her head as she took her usual seat.

"You'll be going out to the forest again?"

She nodded, but her mother got the answer without looking back.

"Find us some good mushroom then, will you? I want to make you all mushroom stew."

She smiled and nodded again.

"As for breakfast... porridge it is."

Her smile fell with a tiny groan.

If there was one thing she missed about her past life, it was food.

* * *

As she made her way into the forest, she wondered what she would meet today.

The forest surrounding her village was ... odd, to say the least.

There were creatures here that was similar to the monsters in the underground.

Ah... right. The Underground, not underground.

She looked around. Dressed in green and dark green as she was and carrying a brown leather bag, she blended in well with the forest. Her dress was not her first choice; she would have worn something purple and blue, but the color scheme was their village's traditional colors.

Speaking of village and tradition, some time ago, a group of monster soldiers walked into the village. At first, everyone was frightened.

Was it a scout? Was it a raiding party? The monster soldiers numbered only around forty or so, but they seemed to be well armed and armored, unlike the villagers.

Then the lead monster, an oni her mother taught her, declared that the County of Uomonshire had been conquered by the Grand Duchess of Sarang.

After that, it showed off the official document that her village was now under the control of the Grand Duchy of Sarang and were given terms and conditions.

She never saw the village being that happy at being beaten. Apparently, it was good.

'Well, almost,' she thought as she remembered one noble who had been staying in town that day. He protested, but was taken away by the soldiers.

In the end, the peace had been disturbed but continued onwards as if the disturbance had never happened.

Back to the forest, the forest held a lot of creatures that reminded her of her past life.

Like the wobblestalker and the armless lizard.

Her thoughts came to a halt before she ducked down quickly.

Rusty sword wielding men were not the usual residents of the forest.

'Bandits?' she thought to herself.

"KYAAA!" she screamed when something grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up from behind.

"Lookie here boys, a lil gal!"

All of the bandits, some two dozen of them, turned to her, and they all instantly gained this glean in their eyes.

They stalked towards her just as the bandit who caught her dropped her.

She tried to crawl away but the bandit stomped down on her back, forcing her to lay down on the forest floor.

"Can we fuck her?" one of the approaching bandits asked casually. "Didn't fuck a woman in so long..."

"Yeah, because you kill all of them whenever it's yer turn, ya fucking bastard!" another bandit further back shouted. "Ya ain't touching this one til the rest of us have a taste of her!"

She froze.

She struggled.

"Don't be so struggly no-"

Squelch.

She screamed, and then stopped.

She thought she had been struck, but she wasn't hurt.

She whipped around on the ground and stared in surprise at the bandit.

Or what used to be a bandit. It was headless now.

"Wha-?" she spoke up softly, but was cut off when screams rang out in the forest.

Massive beams of light shot out towards the bandits and vaporized them. Bandits tried to flee using the trees as cover, but the beams tore through the bark and hardwood with ease.

"You okay, kid?"

She looked up.

A skeleton stood behind her, looking down. He was surrounded by reptilian skulls hovering him like protective guardians -or attack dogs.

Her eyes watered. It wasn't because of shock from nearly being raped or seeing people die. No, no, no. She had seen plenty killed.

Had killed plenty herself.

"Uhh... you okay, kid?"

She quickly got up and hugged the skeleton.

The skeleton promptly froze. "Kid, you okay...?"

"Sans...!" she sobbed.

A pause.

"How did you know my nam-." The skeleton looked at her closely, even though she had her face buried in his thankfully cotton jacketed ribs. "... Frisk?"

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)  
To Forge this Cursed Blade of Mine (Ch. 92)  
Sticking those Spies through their Spines (Ch. 96)**

* * *

**Well, I ain't sure about the calculations I did there. I summed up a drop as 1/20 of a mL, which is exactly what a drop of water is to a mL. **


	100. Chapter 100

**Here we are. The 100th chapter of Re:Gamer.**

**For those of you who have been with this story since the beginning, it's been some time, hasn't it? My early days of rapid updates, the gradual slowing of it, and the recent resurgence.**

**The conversion of this story from a pure Re:Monster x Naruto to a multi-mega-crossover that the story is today with EMIYA's reincarnation... **

**Me arguing with some of you over romance, harems, details, and plot while the rest of you cheered whoever you wanted to. **

**A few tears for Yan's death...**

**The establishment of the Ironwood Clan as a true nation, not just a small clan of mismatched monster.**

**Battles. Love. Wars. Assassination. Cooperation. Trade. And so much more.**

**It's been a journey, but everything so far is but a start of what this story truly is. **

**Some time before I published Chapter 96, I came to a conclusion.**

I will not end this story as long as I am alive.

**Oh, and the fact that this chapter is longer than the usual is also part of it. :P**

* * *

_**Arc:  
Grinding Labyrinth**_

* * *

**Part 1**

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 186:  
**

...

Truth be told, I wasn't happy. I had spent so much time, effort, and _pain_ to get the Lava Furnace going and working. With it, I completed two quests...

And yet...

I wasn't happy.

For one, the cursed blade I made was too small.

I lifted it up and frowned.

It was barely my forearm length.

'On top of that,' I thought to myself as I [Observe]d the thin blade in my hand.

**[Curse-Oozing Soul Blade**  
_Not even your enemies deserve this_  
**Material Rank: Super Rare**  
**Quality: Rare (Low)**  
**...]**

That was another issue. Apparently, my crafting skill wasn't "high" enough, and this brittle shit was all I had to show for nearly three month's worth of work.

Oh, how I _screamed_.

The dwarves and kobolds in the forges were scared shitless because of me. I felt really bad after my "rage haze" went away. I hadn't been that angry since the eastern outpost fell.

... Man, it's already been a year since that happened.

I managed to leave the city without going completely insane from the rage I felt.

In a sense, it was the latest "big" failures I had suffered, and I had reacted to it. Sucks that Wroth is one of my main traits. Ugh...

"Ruto...?"

I looked up, and saw Candy.

"Oh hey, Candy," I smiled. "Here for another round of dungeon raiding?" I asked.

She frowned. "No. I just wanted to see if you were fine."

I raised an eyebrow before I realized why she was here on the edge of the plateau that our city sat on.

Either she must have heard my raging the previous day but didn't point it out last night to allow me to cool off or someone sent her to me in hopes of calming me down.

Thank you INT and WIS. Quick answers.

I smiled for her. "I'm alright. Something didn't turn out as I wanted. That's really it."

She stared at me for a while before shrugging and hugging me, pressing her breast into my face. "Don't make me worry, got it?"

I nodded, not really thinking about anything else for now and hugging her too. Just enjoying our embrace was nice.

* * *

In the end though, I found myself hammering away.

Hammering at what, you ask?

Well, first, I broke the blade. This allowed me to salvage whatever good I could get from it; mithril was expensive as fuck, yo.

Once I got whatever tainted material out from the broken blade, I was

Second, after realizing that I needed both more material if I wanted to improve on the cursed blade, I went into Forest of Curses' instant dungeon, and almost literally cut down a square kilometer worth of the eldritch forest. I actually wanted to do another square kilometer or so of harvesting, but I stopped after receiving an odd drop.

**[Heart of an Ancient Giant**  
**Quality: Rare**  
**Desc: ?]**

It held no description, but it held good connection to both mithril and ashes of the eldritch tree.

Third, once I held enough materials, I began to design. I realized that simply forging the entire blade out of out of question. Too expensive and wasteful. I also wanted something _bigger _to wield. A tiny shortsword was a no go for me now.

After pondering a little, I decided to make a machete. It would be wide enough to carry the weight and long enough for me to not feel bad - no man wants to wield a tiny blade if they could, and I had the strength to spare. I went over three designs before deciding to buy a blueprint from the [Gamers' Market].

And my, my, my, were there a lot of weapon blueprints.

One blueprint caught my attention, though.

[Yhorm's Great Machete: Custom Blueprint].

It just looked awesome, and the blueprint allowed me to add components I wanted.

To that end, I bought it -it was cheap too- and now, I was pounding away.

With a final CLANG, it was complete.

I wiped the sweat from my brows and [Observe]d the product before me.

**[Failed Great Machete  
Quality: Shit  
Desc: It's so horrible, the dwarves use it as an example of bad blacksmithing.]**

"FFUUUUCCCKKKK"

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 189:**

After ten fucking tries, I've done it.

**[Curse-Oozing Yhorm's Great Machete**  
**Quality: Legendary**  
_The battlefield will never be the same..._  
**Physical Damage: 400(+10 per 0.5 m/s/s) **  
**On-hit Effect: **  
***Applies [Death of Eldritch Trees]**  
***Applies Bleeding**  
***Applies random status effect **  
***Applies Stun if target's END is less than 500**  
**Requirement: 3,000 Total STR, 850 END]**

... I've created a monster.

Holy shit. I don't need to use any skill to kill someone; one hit from this is one hit K.O. for most.

As I lifted the mithril edged great machete, I realized that it was longer than I was tall and almost as wide as my chest was. It was a damn huge sword.

I paused when I noticed that most of the dwarves were moving away from me.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing, your majesty," one of the closer dwarves quickly replied. He was also one of the more faster moving ones.

One of the elder blacksmiths bravely walked up to me. "... Your Majesty, you cannot feel it?"

I blinked. "Feel what?"

* * *

The dwarves would later commemorate this elder blacksmith for his bravery.

Dwarves were creatures of crafting. It was in their nature as much as mining and underground was natural for them.

Those of the crafting profession felt greater things from that of their subject than regular dwarves.

And to these dwarves who may have spent the last hundred years or so making fine weapons even as they were tossed around by the superpowers of the world, the weapon held in their king's hand was a _monstrosity_.

It reeked of death. It _smelled _of death. There was a burning anger held within its steel and edge. Staring at it from these dwarves' perspectives was akin to staring into the maw of a great white shark before it devoured the watcher. Its mere presence triggered survival instincts in battle hardened and tough dwarves.

The elder blacksmith was worried more about his liege, though, than his own survival. Damn his own life! He was going to persuade the king to_ break _the weapon before it saw any battlefield.

Oh, he knew what kind of a risk that was.

Asking a craftsman to break their own creation mere moments after its creation? Madness! Stupidity!

Yet the elder dwarf blacksmith felt such loyalty for this troll standing before him who had done so much for his clan and his children.

"Your Majesty, you cannot feel it?"

He saw the king blink before the man shook his head.

The blacksmith gulped.

But before he could speak, the king coo'ed how powerful his sword was.

And to the horror of the dwarves, they saw the "presence" of the monstrosity whine in happiness like a lovesick puppy.

The elder dwarf lost all of his will to speak after that.

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 190:**

I made Shirou angry.

Why? Well, because of my weapon.

He took one look at it, and slugged me across the face. He really didn't like the fact that I personally crafted this weapon.

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 194:**

He was even less happy with me when I decided that I wanted to test my new machete out.

On who, he had asked.

On the Galburian assholes raiding our western borders, I replied.

His mood slightly improved.

He then told me about the situation there as he was the one keeping up with the reports and management of soldiers there.

The situation along our border came down to this:

The northwestern border was quiet; nothing happened over there because of the mountains and what happened to the last army that decided to march there. One can't exactly claim to have burned, looted, and raped enemy towns if they return looking like bums after being defeated handsomely.

The southerwestern border was taken care of my the Free Union. With Vyyanyagur leading the border skirmishes, there was no issue there -not that the galburians sent much to the Free Union anyway; the bounty was on the "non-human" cities and towns, which didn't apply to human-majority Free Union.

In the end, it was the direct western border between my kingdom and the Galburians.

So that's where I was going to go.

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 195:**

Today, I set out for the western border with a complement of 300 Highlander warriors, 10 Cataclysm mages, and 4 healers. Hopefully, this will be enough to bolster the defenses there for the short while I'll be ... roaming the countryside.

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 198:**

Took us three days to get there on forced march, and arrived at the city of Asm, a human-centric city that used to be under Duchy of Revyola.

When the guards saw my flag, they quickly opened the gates and let me in.

The mayor and the people of the city greeted me amicably enough.

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 200: **

It didn't take long for the news about the "Troll King" to reach the Galburian camp because this morning, I learned that a large contingent of Galburian nobles and their mercenary armies was on their way to Asm.

I had Shirou consolidate the local levies and militia to guide the villagers between the Galburians and Asm to the local forts for their protection.

By midday, I had donned my Pollodium armor set just in time to see a Galburian mercenary army flying the banners of some minor yet rich noble marching over a hill. They came to a halt on top of that hill, and sent a messenger, demanding the people of Asm kill me and bring my head to them.

I scoffed at such a boastful statement.

It wasn't long before I decided to end their pitiful existence.

* * *

I jumped down from the city wall, much to the surprise of everyone. I landed safely, even though the wall had been more than five stories tall. Perhaps it would've been a fatal fall for most people, but hey, I ain't one of the most.

I'm the bloody King of the Ironwood.

I pulled out the great machete from my inventory and slung it over my shoulder even before they could speak.

"Alright," I spoke loudly, projecting my booming voice with only one hand to help. "Who wants a piece of me?!"

_0 seconds._

I could almost hear Shirou facepalming himself from the top of the battlement.

To my surprise, they fired arrows at me. Smart commander, whoever they were.

Unfortunately, I was a lil' bit too fast for them.

Activating [Charge] and [Reinforcement], I dashed forward. I swerved around the arrows as they flew by me. There were a few ranker archers among them spamming the arrows, but in the end, their arrows weren't any faster than their non-ranker counterparts.

I was upon them.

_20 seconds._

And my _Fleshreaver_ had its first taste of blood.

The first victim was a young man, barely out of his teens. Probably out here for adventure.

Like looting, raping, and shit that mercenaries were known for.

I had no mercy for his type.

My blade sliced right through his thin armor, and he crumpled over, even as [Decay] set in on his dead flesh. My swing, though, continued on. The blade carried on to embed itself into another mercenary before I pulled it out and slammed it down on his shocked and pale face.

This one grew frostbites where I struck him.

I activated [Fast Strike] and [Rapid Fire] together.

_23 seconds._

I swung.

In the span of a single second, I struck twelve times with one millisecond movement in between to switch to new target.

The eleven nearest to me just fell over as their body was cleaved, and the twelfth received a nose-crunching strike with the eleventh's batted head.

_24 seconds._

"Come on, guys," I said loudly, feigning disinterest. "No one is strong here? Did I waste my time to lure you out here with my presence?"

As I said those words, I struck down forty more of them.

Step, swing. Another fifty dead.

_25 seconds._

Step, swing, swing. Another hundred dead.

_26 seconds._

By now, they were retreating from me.

I narrowed my eyes.

It's been a while, but ...

I tossed Fleshreaver into my inventory before using [Projection] to create a bow and a quiver of Bomb Arrows.

[Rapid Fire].

_33 seconds._

Even before the arrows landed and exploded, the bow and quiver was gone, replaced by my Fleshreaver.

I activated [Reinforcement] and [Charge]d right into the center of their formation, placing myself at the top of the hill upon which they had gathered.

The arrows exploded, taking out the mercenaries along the edges.

_34 seconds._

And before me was the proud -and pissing- Galburian noble and his mercenary captain.

They didn't see my great machete before I cleaved them together in one single strike.

_38 seconds._

Then to finish this mercenary army off here, I did a skill chaim combo ending with a [Mountain Killer].

The hill, and the mercenaries upon it, erupted into a thousand and one bedrock spikes as tall as a hundred year old oak tree.

There was a pause as dust rose up from my attack.

Whimpers, gasps, gurgles.

And then silence.

I straightened my back, looked around, and laughed.

This was too easy.

_43 seconds._

**Ping!**

**[Battle of Hill of Til**  
**Your Casualties: 0**  
**Enemy Casualties: 2,895**

**Achievement:_ "Too Fucking Easy"_**

**Details:**  
**[...]**

**EXP Gained: 29,030**  
**Infamy Gained: 400**  
**Prestige Gained: 400]**

* * *

To the eyes of Asm's mayor, his King was a Master of War.

No, he was a god.

When an army of three thousand bore down on them, and even though he brought few hundred soldiers with him, he faced them on his own. Once he was on "level" ground with them, he opened his arms up as if he was greeting an old friend.

Instead of parleying, the Galburians rained down arrows.

None of them struck his King.

The troll king raced passed them as if the arrows weren't raining upon him.

With the same amount of time that took him to say "What the Fuck," the king was upon them.

Even from where he stood on the battlement on his city's walls, he saw carnage like none other.

He knew that those higher up in the power scheme, the S-rankers and their ilk, could literally take on an army on their own. He had never seen it, only known it intellectually. Now, he saw it.

With a single swing of his arm, men fell like the wheat before the scythe.

His King's arms moved too fast for his mortal eyes to catch, but the results were clear.

The Hill of Til reddened at his King's handy work.

With fervor, the Galburians tried to strike at him once more, but it was in vein.

They broke apart. Ran for ... somewhere, just to get away.

Then his King charged to the center of the hill, killed the noble and the captain there.

And finally, the entire hill exploded into thick spikes that pierced men and tore them apart.

In less than a minute, men and women who had lived for decades were put down.

Asm's mayor let out a sigh of relief.

He and his city was safe under this powerful, violent, and yet benevolent king's rule.

* * *

**Part 2**

* * *

"Which way are we going to go then?"

Sans and Frisk were on the road together. The latter had forgone her village's traditional shirt and robes for something more ... vibrant. Like purple and blue. Alas, she only found a blue shirt, and it was a size too big for her. She was still wearing it, though.

Sans, on the other hand, had changed. When Frisk last saw him in the Judgement Hall, Sans was a short guy; he barely had an inch or two on her. Of course, that barely tall enough guy was also the one who killed her...

She shook her head to rid herself of those dreary thoughts.

'We have a new life!' she grinned happily. 'Forget about the Underground.'

Again, though, Sans was slightly different here. Instead of being the chubby, short, flip-flop wearing, and pun-ish guy, he was tall, lanky, and blunt.

_"So ... uh... I'm not hostile, fat lady?"_

_Apparently, the bandits that he had just taken out were in fact part of a larger group that had assaulted this village. Unknown to them -the bandits-, this village in question held a few B-rankers, and bandits were no threats to them._

_Unfortunately, he had crying Frisk in his arms, somewhat naked with ripped off clothes, a bunch of dead bodies around him, and well, his usual skeletal visage showing in full daylight, it didn't quite make a nice scene._

_Especially for the B-rankers in question._

_"Get away from my daughter, undead!"_

_"Hey lady, chill out! I just saved Frisk here," Sans retorted._

_Frisk looked up from the tear-soaked jacket. "Mum?"_

_"Frisk, get away from that undead!"_

_There was a pause before Frisk shook her head. "Sans wouldn't hurt me!"_

_"Yeah, uh, listen to the lil' lady!"_

_Frisk's third mom -Toriel was the second- narrowed her eyes. "...No undead has ever treated the living well."_

_"...Technically speaking, I'm not an undead."_

_Frisk deadpannedat him because he certainly looked like one._

_"I'm a necromancer," he said with a chuckle. There was a pause before he scratched the back of his head. "That's not better, I think..."_

_"You think?" Frisk's mother growled._

_"... You know, if you weren't Frisk's mother, I would've pranked you already."_

_There was another pause. Unlike the previous pause, this one was caused by the ridiculous statement about pranking._

_"...Prank?"_

_"Well, yeah. What did you expect me to do, blast you away like godzilla?"_

_"Godzilla?"_

_"Mom, please stop talking to Sans. He'll start to annoy you."_

_"...And here I thought you were happy to see me."_

_"I am. Doesn't mean you don't annoy people to death sometimes."_

Frisk had been adamant about leaving on a journey with Sans, because he was leaving, and her mother was unable to stop her. With her hesitant blessing, Frisk set out on a journey!

...

Except neither of them knew where to go.

Sans really struck some luck when he ran into her. He had been wandering aimlessly for a better part of three centuries apparently.

Speaking of wandering...

"Do you dogs just keep guard over you like that?"

The dogs in question was actually draconic skulls that Sans used for his blue laser beam attack. He had about thirteen of them of various sizes floating about him.

"Yeah. After I killed you," both of them cringed. "I kinda died too."

She narrowed her eyes. "Was it sui-?"

He smacked the back of her head from behind.

"Ow!"

"Don't be stupid, kid," he grunted. "...Chara took over."

Frisk's eyes widened.

"The moment you were 'gone' from your body, Chara took over your body and killed me. I didn't even expect it. A clean backstab right through my skull. Get it? There was nothing to backstab except the skull."

'That wasn't even a pun, Sans...' she thought pityingly.

"..Yeah, anyway, after I died, I just kind of woke up here."

"Like this?"

"No. As a baby."

Frisk came to a frozen halt. The imagination of a fleshy, pink baby didn't fit with Sans.

"Oi, what are you thinking?"

"... You were ugly, weren't you?"

He just leveled a glare at her.

She shook her hands in front of her placatingly.

After a pause, he continued his story. "I grew up like a normal kid, and then I just kind of got involved in things I shouldn't have," he continued, but didn't elaborate on what exactly he was involved with. "As a result, I became this ... undead necromancer kind of thing. Kind of like my old self. I was actually happy to see my bones again... Get it? Bones after death?"

'Sans, please...' she lamented. 'Just make your puns instead...'

"Uh... yeah, I'm not speaking our past language, too."

She gave him her best "No shit, Sherlock" stare. "Your speech didn't change, even after three hundred years. Did you really just wander for that long?" she asked.

He nodded. "I was kind of in a ... what did my hometown people call it? Menboong? Yeah, that's what they called it. A mental breakdown. So time really didn't pass in a ... strict uniform way. I know it passed three centuries at least because, well... That's how long it's been since my hometown burned down."

"...Oh," Frisk muttered. There wasn't anything you could really say to that.

"Kido, it's _pur_fectly fine," he replied with a cheshire grin. "With you around, things will be a_meow_zing."

... On the other hand, she didn't mind the lack of puns.

* * *

**Interesting News around the World  
****Rutos Year 5 + Day 200:  
(Caladrian Calendar October 3rd, 890 of the Fifth Era)**

*The Caladrian noble rebels were put down. All of its leaders were arrested and publicly executed.

*The price of exotic slaves (minor races and trained monster races) has risen by 24% internationally.

*The price of gold bars fell by 3% after three new gold mines were opened up in central Galburia.

*The war between the Volreek against Hlynovukos alliance is finally moving to Volreek's favor.

*Heirolith Kingdom, after a long negotiation, agreed to ceasefire and cessation of hostilities with Grand Duchy of Sarang.

*Arulia, the small Canterrian kingdom that's been war declared by the Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire, is holding out well; with their superior, navy, they've sunk the imperial ships twenty fold to what they lost.

*Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi successfully managed to take over the High Chiefdom of Yylshuwan. In doing so, they ascended to a kingdom status. King Christopher Zepolya declared the rise of the Carpathi Kingdom.

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

**(Answers to reviews will be in the bottom as well at the way bottom)**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)  
Sticking those Spies through their Spines (Ch. 96)**


	101. Chapter 101

_*For those of you wondering about how Fleshreaver looks like, look up Yhorm's Great Machete._

_*My readers! So you've all noticed by now that I've added Sans and Frisk from Undertale. If you don't know Undertale and love games, I suggest you go and play it before you read any portion of my story regarding Sans and Frisk. If you aren't into games, then go to youtube to watch some videos specifically about the "genocide" route of Undertale._

_*Shout out to Fallen-Ryu! Your [Infrastructure] idea seems like a good addition to the EU4 mechanic of Buildings that I was going to implement soon for National Management. Thank you for the idea!_

_*I've had a pm asking me about why Ruto appears to be so beloved by his people. Now, for those of you who remember, I've talked about how I'm using the Fate series ranking for Charisma. Currently with 396 points invested in Charisma, Ruto has Fate equivalent of a B- charisma. Let me reiterate. Ruto has B- charisma. King Arturia Pendgragon of the series (yes, the King Arthur who has been feminized) has B rank on charisma. As far as the people of Tesbalta is concerned, Ruto is bloody fucking awesome leader with how well he attracts people and keeps the entire kingdom together despite the fact that it started out as being under assault by a huge ass kingdom._

* * *

_**Arc:  
Grinding Labyrinth**_

**Part 1: Ruto's Western Adventure  
Part 2: Lelouch: his Fiance, his Finance, and his Sister!  
Part 3: Why Shirou punched Ruto in the face  
Part 4: Sans, Frisk, and their Past  
**

* * *

**Part 1**

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 223:  
**

I roared as I came down upon a mixed group of C and B ranker mercenaries.

They were trying to set up a small outpost for their "Galburian adventurers" because many of them seem to be coming here to die -by being hired to dumb Galburian nobles-, but this was my land, and I gave no permission.

Which meant police action!

Which really meant me going in to crush some skulls, especially because these "adventurer" mercenaries were neither invited or a citizen of my land.

Fleshreaver sliced through the first adventurer from the top of his head to his groin, and I crinkled my face when I realized that some of the dead man's piss was now on my sword.

...

Meh. Poison for the rest, I suppose.

I spun around, not even using any skill in this fight, and sliced apart any within my range.

Most of the B-rankers jumped away from me with all haste, but the C-rankers were neither prepared nor capable of doing so.

I laughed as [Berserker] activated on its own. Thank god my class prevented full-on blood rage.

My strength increased with its activation, and when a group of mages tried to set up a barrier to stop me, I smashed right through it.

Before I could kill the mages though, a barrage of arrows rained down upon them, turning them into human pincushions.

I grumbled before I looked up. "Shirou~, I thought you weren't going to get involved in my fun!" I moaned.

The Great Oni scoffed.

In the past few days that we've been in the western frontier hunting down all manners of Galburian idiots, Shirou managed to evolve. He was now a Great Oni. He was as tall as I was, and his hair was silver now. His lone forehead horn also grew longer.

And if he was devastating with his bows before his evolution, he was even more devastating now.

He carried the mark of the Striking Sun, a nameless local deity who delighted in bringing up archery talents. When Shirou entered the local god's domain, well... it couldn't resist expanding its divine influence over such a talent.

A single _normal _arrow from Shirou was capable of piercing plated armor when a Bomb Arrow was required before. A Bomb Arrow tore through an entire plate armor knight.

With his bloody Caladbolg? Forget the tiny city he laid waste to in the swamps, he could wipe out an army!

He was SS-ranker for sure now.

But he also seemed to have gained something else.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I hurt your feelings by taking care of the small fry?"

Sarcasm.

I grumbled again. "Let's just burn this place down and go."

He nodded and pulled out a small dagger from his [Reality Marble]. Again, I've been trying to imitate it to a degree, but I've failed.

His dagger lit on fire, and he threw it at the outpost in construction.

It wouldn't be long before the entire outpost was on fire.

* * *

We watched the smoke rise up into the sky over our shoulders as we marched on to our next destination.

That had been the fifteenth outpost that we've destroyed so far.

While Shirou and I were busy destroying these outposts, the three orders' warriors, mages, and healers were busy doing their job; the warriors patrolled the roads and trained the local garrison, the mages bolstered city fortifications and provided magical relief where needed, and healers healed injuries and wounds, though for a small cost -if the wound wasn't worth paying to get healed, it wasn't worth getting healed with magic.

With all of this happening, the western border was becoming more secure with each passing day. Or so the people living here tell me. They never had such attention of the "central" before, and were extremely surprised by the fact that despite the fact that I was a monster, I ruled a kingdom that rivaled our allies.

And they were awed to tears because of how attentive I was being of them... when in truth, I was doing what I did back at my city.

Seriously, I just took part in the court system for a few hours each day before I set out, and that was the most attention from a ruler that they had?!

Now, I wasn't generous or a crusader for people's rights, but there were things a ruler should be doing -like Shirou taught me.

Shirou paused, and I stopped too. He looked to the horizon, and the face around his eyes lit up in blue veins of mana.

"... Another raiding party."

I chuckled. "How many?"

"They're nearing a village."

I dropped my grin. "Which direction?"

"Southwest. 3 kilometers."

I was off. I [Reinforced] my legs and sprinted. Leaving behind small craters every time I touched the ground, I made my way.

When I got there, the village was already under siege. The thin wooden wall was holding back the tide of a hundred raiders, though it wouldn't last long.

Without hesitation, I drew Fleshreaver from my inventory and threw it.

It cleaved through five raiders before it was embedded in the body of the sixth.

The back half of the raiders noticed me, and began to run.

I projected a bow and a quiver of Bomb Arrows, and unleashed continuous barrage with [Rapid Fire].

By the end of the third second, all of the raiders were dead.

Ping!

**[+29,900 EXP]**

Not much, but for a hundred of them, it was significant.

I made my way down to the village, which rested at the bottom of four small hills. They, at first, greeted me with fear.

It was a normal reaction. At least until I showed them my Contract Emblem for the Northern Dynland. Then they were bowing at my feet, and proclaiming that they had a truly merciful and benevolent lord watching over them.

I mentally sighed as the same outcome played here.

With a wave of my hand, I left the village. My job here was done for now. If the village decided that they wanted to scour the dead raiders for loot, they were welcome to do so; I had no use for most of it anyway.

When I returned to Shirou's side, he was smirking.

I sighed and handed over a couple of gold coins.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You know people more than I do."

It was a bet that we made today before setting out; I would be thanked "profusely" for being a "benevolent lord." Those words had to show up specifically in either my subject's vocabulary or action.

I've been losing my gold rather steadily today to Shirou.

Slightly frustrating.

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 235:**

I decided that with the latest Galburian noble, I was going to give my warriors the chance to actually fight instead of me just bulldozing through them.

It would be good experience for them! I even had healers on the standby.

Whether it was coincidence or not, the hill outside of the city of Asm became the battlefield once more. Or rather, the hill was the center of a battlefield that no one dared to get too close to lest they be crushed by the unstable rock spikes that still remained there.

So there I stood in the back. Two hundred fifty Highlander warriors in the front, the twenty Cataclysm mages, and three healers. The rest were guarding the city in case someone decided to be sneaky.

On the other side of the battlefield was someone flying another Galburian noble flag. I didn't bother seeing the flag in detail. There were about a thousand mercenaries there that he could see. It was a 1 to 4 numerical advantage for them...

I shrugged. While it was possible for ants to overwhelm a giant with its numbers, that's if the numerical advantage was good enough to outweigh everything else.

With my traits like [Family Commander] and high Charisma, my "army's" morale and physical prowess was higher than anything the mercenaries could offer.

What did worry me a little was that while all of my warriors were mostly high B rankers, the enemy held a few A rankers among their number. Adventurers, if I'm correct.

And my worry was proven right when I saw the entire mercenary army charging at more than average speed. The army's charge was ... on par with my Running at LvL 6? Just a bit faster, and all of their boots were glowing.

Some sort of haste magic?

Perhaps I should capture their magicians and ransom them for their knowledge.

"Archers!" I ordered. "Rapid fire directly ahead! Front line, on your knees, attack the chargers! Second line, standing, commanders are your priority! Fire at will!"

Again, my warriors were all archers. It was actually a requirement for all of my warriors to have Archer as one of their two classes with how powerful [Rapid Fire] was. It was the skill version of the Sentry Turret from my previous life. While not everyone got a second class, everyone who did was an Archer to a degree.

And so of the two hundred Highlander warriors I had fielded, a eighty of them drew their longbows and fired as one. [Rapid Fire] plus Longbow's powerful attacks smashed through most defenses except a magical one and heavily plated armors, and none of these mercenaries were magical or heavily plated.

In the first second, eight hundred arrows flew. Of them, thirty percent struck -this was the bad thing about [Rapid Fire]; you can fire a lot, but accuracy wasn't guaranteed. Five hundred seventy seven mercenaries went down with a three hundred meter distance between us.

The Galburian noble obviously saw how archer-heavy my army was. "Shields to the front! Square formation! Do not show gaps!" he shouted. He was quite the tactician too, I saw this now. While not all of the mercenaries carried them, there were quite a few of them who did, and all of the shields was painted the same as the noble's flag.

But by the time they had donned their square formations, half of them were dead. The numerical advantage had just taken a big hit.

I grinned. This was why I fucking loved archers.

Ping!

**[Due to your wise decision, battles are extremely easy this time! +1 WIS]**

"Gunners!" I shouted.

Now, gunners were a special sub-class of archers. Instead of bows, they used guns primarily.

Guns weren't very advanced in this world. Hell, technologically, it was on par with the Elemental Nations in terms of mundane ranged weapons. Of course, the latter held shinobi and kunoichi who fired off fireballs from their mouth and the former had magicians capable of raining hail and lightning, but I digress.

Mundane ranged technology was something I held a small interest in, and somethign that Shirou pioneered. I know that the Great Oni personally does not like it because of how "impersonal" it is.

Well, I had no feelings about it, so I used it. Or made my warriors use it in range combat.

Seven gunners marched out with crossbow guns, the descendant models of those used in the Battle of Pset. These were specialized, however. These were called "Armor Shredders." They were all capable of loading what I called "Bomb Shots." Developed by yours truly, Bomb Shots were coated in special resin that protected it from the initial firing but the firing rid the bullet of its resin, so when it struck its target, it would explode. These Armor Shredder Crossbow Guns had three barrels each, and each barrel was capable of loading one of those.

Now granted, the Bomb Shots made small explosions only. But it did, however, break things.

Like moderate plate armors.

Like small rocks.

Like iron helmets.

Like... shields.

"FIRE!" I roared.

They shot as one.

And all of the shields in the frontline of those square formations broke. Some of the shielders even died from the concussive blow.

"FIRE!" I shouted again.

The archers let loose another barrage of [Rapid Fire].

It was a massacre.

I cackled, but came to a stop when I saw the magicians in the backline preparing something.

...

My eyes widened.

These mercenaries were cannon fodders!

As one, seven mercenary magicians fired off fourteen large sized fireballs.

It was time to test our own mages.

"Shield!" I shouted.

As one, my mages thumped their staffs to the ground, and a light blue, mostly transparent shield rose up.

The fireballs struck and fizzled out.

The mercenaries, who were grinning, paled. Then they turned tail and ran.

"5 gold per prisoner. 50 gold per magician prisoner. Go!" I cackled, and my warriors shot forth.

Proud and honorable warriors they may be, gold was gold, and the battlefield was no place for honor.

Ping!

**[Second Defense of Asm**  
**Your Casualties: 6**  
**Enemy Casualties: 833**

**Details:**  
**[...]**

**EXP gained: 8,330**  
**Infamy gained: 50**  
**Fame gained: 100]**

"Huh? How do I have casualties?"

I looked up. I grimaced. Oh, right. The magicians. Completely forgot that they would fight back. Why wouldn't they? I just assumed that they were running away too. "Guess that's another thing I learned," I frowned.

Ping!

**[It may be a little late for the small fella's, but you still learned! +1 WIS]**

I scoffed.

* * *

**Part 2**

* * *

Lelouch vi Britannia.

He was the King of Caladria, the claimant to the Empire of Caladria, and the vanquisher of greedy nobles.

The last bit was added by the people following the latest changes in laws and the subsequent rebellion. After all, nobles were hardly going to just take the removal of serfdom from his kingdom. No sir, they raised an army and tried to repeal the law.

Well, they paid their attempt with their lives when his soldiers caught them.

Unfortunately, while he may be great to everyone who sees him, personally, he's tired.

Why?

He just came back from a negotiation with the diplomat of his nation's rival, the Byunjuk Kingdom. The said kingdom was a off shoot from the last Caladrian Civil War, the same one that reduced his ancestor's mighty empire to a small kingdom. Now, the Byunjuk Kingdom was on verge of collapse, no matter what they told anyone else.

Unfortunately, just because they were admitting it didn't mean that they weren't dying.

There has been severe case of drought in the region and the fishing industry was heavily hit by pirates and sudden disappearance of fish schools that the kingdom depended heavily on. If that wasn't enough, the Byunjuk Royal Line was coming to an end. The current king only had a single daughter, and he had no living relative carrying the name. With greedy nobles and outside eyes all looking for a chance to tear the nation for whatever purpose they sought, everyone knew that trouble was on the horizon...

But the king of the Byunjuk was crafty. He knew that he couldn't raise a new male heir -which was by law the only gender accepted upon Byunjuk throne- because he was too old. He knew that he had no other living relative. He knew that he was cornered, and if he wasn't careful, his only daughter was going to suffer because of who she had been born to.

He may not be a great king, but he was a father.

The diplomat he was talking to was the king's trusted friend.

A trusted friend who had brought the Byunjuk king's marriage proposal (*cough*surrenderterms*cough*) between him, Lelouch vi Britannia, and his daughter.

Of course, the king and his friend did not know that several of the Byunjuk lords were working with Lelouch. The king did not know that his fishing industry was actually fine; the reports he received were false. The king did not know that he was being played.

The Byunjuk king also didn't know that his daughter was in on it. He was crafty, yes. Perceptive, not so much.

But in Lelouch's mind, this was for the better. There was no wars to conduct, no rebellions to squash after conquest, and no messy administration that follows such war and conquest.

This was clean, efficient, fast, and agreeable.

So even if he didn't like tricking the Byunjuk king, who was a very lovable guy, he did it anyway because this was the _best _route.

But there was one problem with it.

The Byunjuk Princess.

She was a blue eyed, brown haired, moderate height, and well-endowed girl. When he first met her with her father a few years ago, she was ... innocent? Quiet? Shy?

Well, it turns out that she's not as innocent, quiet, and shy she portrayed herself to be.

Oh no, oh no.

The girl was a fucking knight.

During their engagement party, there was a free-for-all combat tournament going on. Lelouch thought she didn't like blood because she wasn't there to see it.

Only to see her enter the arena with her air tied up and a broadsword as wide his head and almost as tall as he was in her hands.

Apparently, she was a B+ rank Warrior class.

She absolutely decimated the tournament even before there could be a second round.

'Note to self,' he realized now. 'Have a talk with our agents in Byunjuk. This is a rather vital info that they missed out on.'

But his new fiance aside, there was work to be done.

Specifically, his nation's new budget.

With the dissolving of the serfdom, there was no reason for the peasants to stay in their hometown. While it would take sometime to show itself, there will be a strong trend to peasants moving into big cities.

And Lelouch, being the smart kid that he was, was also a good historian; being a good historian was a complement one needed to be a good ruler.

And history -this life and past- has taught Lelouch one thing: cities were now soon going to be in danger of epidemics. This meant that he had to renovate the sewage system, the housing, and everything involved in between. This all costs money!

Thankfully, the same city-ward movement was going to generate the country some income, so he'll use that to fund those projects.

And speaking of projects...

A small portion of his kingdom's income was dedicated to funding research groups across the entire nation. These groups may actually be just a single individual or a truly large group of researchers involved in magic and science.

One such group had caught his attention.

[Reincarnation Tracker].

It was a recorded phenomenon that he himself could attest to. Individuals from other worlds reincarnated into this world, as if this world was the nexus of many worlds. The [Reincarnation Tracker] was a group funded by the Royal Academy of Caladria to keep a track of these individuals.

Lo and behold...

They found his sister...

On the other side of the continent.

* * *

**Part 3**

* * *

Shirou watched Ruto turn in for the night.

Once he was sure that Ruto was in his "deep sleep," he projected the Fleshreaver.

Almost immediately, he was assaulted by the foul stench of death that the sword emitted.

Shirou glared at it.

This was why he had punched Ruto when he first saw him with it and, on top of that, learned that he was responsible for its creation.

Its name was [Fleshreaver] and its main diet was [Living Souls].

Those status effects Ruto was so happy about? How it applied the effects of [Ashes of Eldritch Trees] on his enemies? That was the side effect of what happened when [Fleshreaver] took a chunk out of its target's soul. [Ashes of the Eldritch Tree] was something much more sinister than Shirou initially thought. Its decay affected not just the physical or magical surrounding, but also the spiritual and divine. Those status effects happened when excess bits of souls that were decayed by the [Ashes of the Eldritch Trees] that weren't swallowed by the [Fleshreaver] fell away to pure energy. Depending on what the sword struck, how the sword struck, and what kind of magic was coursing through the sword at the time of the cleaving of souls, it causes those status effects.

At the 1st Defense of Asm, Ruto's [Fleshreaver] mostly caused frostbite. From what his Structural Analysis could tell him, the lack of active magic inside [Fleshreaver]'s metal was causing some sort of magical endothermic reaction. Coupled with the "free energy" provided by the cleaved soul bits, it froze everything around it.

[Fleshreaver] wasn't just a goddamn giant machete; it was a godslayer.

Ruto certainly didn't know, so Shirou didn't bother telling him.

But it still pissed him off.

* * *

**Part 4**

* * *

To their surprise, it took them a week to reach the Hakaning-Marcos-Sarang border.

For the past week, the two of them have been flying around on Sans' Gaster Blaster. It was slower than a horse -though that may been because they were traveling leisurely- but it was a enjoyable week. They found abandoned ruins, abandoned forts, infested forts, garrisoned forts, abandoned towns, infested towns, occupied towns, and surprisingly, a village whose members were all murlock.

They didn't quite a plan so far except to make their way to one of the following nations: Free Union, Necropolis, Ironwood Clan, or South Kermania. All of those nations were friendly to "monster races" like Sans, so Frisk decided that they were the only choices they had. Grand Duchy of Sarang may have been Frisk's homeland, but it wasn't exactly friendly to monster races, especially not to an undead like Sans.

"So... what kind of timeline was yours?"

Sans froze.

It was a topic the two of them had been avoiding. Why? Because after a while of talking, it was obvious the two of them came from two very different timelines. It was in the corner glimpses and stares.

Sans was cold.

Frisk was warm.

"Do you really want to know, kid?"

She nodded.

He sighed.

"My ... timeline was what I think my Frisk called a 'Genocide' route."

Frisk's eyebrows climbed up to her hairline.

"Yeah. It wasn't pretty," Sans continued gruffly. "What was worse was that the kid reset every time a single little thing went wrong for him. He took a hit? Oh, reset. He didn't get a burger? Reset. He died?! Oh, another fucking reset." There was a pause before he sighed. "Killed Undyne rather quickly. Killed my brother." His voice strained. "Killed the king without even fighting me, and just left me there on his back up to the surface. What about you?"

"...Genocide."

"Ah, figured. But why?"

"I wasn't exactly in control."

"Hmm?"

"Chara."

"... Kicked you off the handles?"

She nodded.

He sighed. "I wonder if that was the case with my Frisk too..." he muttered. Then he slapped the back of her head. "Cheer up, kido. At least we're away from there now, right?! Look, we're flying like birds, aren't we? We're even _pigeoning_."

"What?"

Then Sans made the Gaster Blaster make their best pigeon impression.

* * *

**Interesting News around the World  
****Rutos Year 5 + Day 250:  
(Caladrian Calendar January 11th, 891 of the Fifth Era)**

*Martaga is experiencing the latest War of Heavens; the local deities have declared war upon each other in Martage's time of spiritual chaos, and Martaga and its swamp is at the center of this affair. Martaga is not expected to survive if no outside help comes.

*Juvak's king eloped with Wissiboo King's fifteenth daughter at the latter birthday party (the two elopers have 300 year age difference). Scandalous!

*Negotiation between Bamis Primacy and the Ironwood Clan for Non-Aggression Pact has fallen out after the former declared an embargo over a minor insult while the diplomats were working. Needless to say, diplomats from both sides were _not _happy.

*HUGE NEWS! Volreek Empire's eastern lords have risen up as one to declare a war for independence under the banner of Maurya Empire! (Maurya also happens to be the name of the Vassal King who is leading this rebellion for independence). This rebellion is expected to be the closest that Tesbaltans (denizens of the continent of Tesbalta) may come to see that rivals the last civil war of the Caladrian Empire nine hundred years ago!  
-Galburian Civil War involved some 270,000 fighters including all S-rankers.  
-The Volreek 3rd Civil War (which is what this is) will involved a million combatants combined from all sides, including the Hlynovukos Duchy that they are at war with.

*Price of hardwood and lumber has risen by 2.3% per 10 meter lumber (which is currently 39 silvers and 44 coppers).

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)  
Sticking those Spies through their Spines (Ch. 96)**


	102. Chapter 102

***To Honest Reviewer: I will be honest here, it gets hard to keep track of points after a while. I try to keep up with the perks that I've assigned him so far, but after three or four chapters, I forget where I was. Sometimes, I stop after assigning the points midway and come back to not know exactly where I was. **

**:P**

***Also, no spoilers. What's the point of me writing if I just spoil everything ahead? I may as well just make a timeline rather than write this if that was the case.**

* * *

_**Arc:  
Grinding Labyrinth**_

**Part 1: Thoughts  
Part 2: Itachi's Administrative Adventure  
Part 3: Fish out of Water  
**

* * *

**Part 1**

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 267:  
**

I had a brilliant idea!

Galburia was going to declare war on me and my kingdom when they were ready right?

This also meant that they weren't ready _right now_.

If I declared war on them right now, would it make war easy on my part?

So after returning to Ironwood City, I asked Shirou, Senna, and Kragnok about it (because they were the most level headed people with the least reasons to leak my questions to potential spies).

Kragnok understood why I would want to declare war on them first, but decided that it was not. Perhaps if we had a few score more of A rankers, then it would be an automatic victory for us, but as of right now, no. He pointed out that while the Grand Duchy of Sarang might accept my call to war, the newly ascended Carpathi Kingdom was unlikely to due to the lack of manpower and war exhaustion they were most likely feeling from their latest conquest.

Senna agreed with Kragnok from the economical and administrative perspective. My conquest of Duchy of Revyola and the Duchy of Kan in the span of two years had upset the neighbors at the least and scared them at the worst. The latter was the case for South Kermania. As far as they were concerned, they were surrounded by either zealots or warmongers. Because of this, they had formed a strong alliance with Bamis Primacy.

There was also the fact that my territories were unstable. There were much unrest still, especially in the Kan provinces.

Our income also could not compare to Kingdom of Galburia. Sure, it was on the rise with the new policies we were implementing, but there was a serious gap still present. For every quality armor and arms we could provide to our levies and rankers, the Galburians would be able to supply ten times as much, and replace them just as quickly.

Shirou agreed with them from the military perspective. King of Galburia possessed some twenty thousand troops to deploy from his levies compared to my three thousand five hundred. Our rankers would offset that advantage, and this would mean the battlefield was even.

And an even battlefield was decided by attrition.

After listening to all of this, I was not ready to put my people through that. I'd rather wait for a defensive war, where our advantages would be three-fold. Well, it would be a war if the Galburians didn't chicken out, that is.

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 273:**

I began to train the Highlanders seriously again. I still did have a quest to complete, after all.

To that end, I did a small count of how many S rankers my kingdom had, though vassals not within my kingdom were discounted.

Juras Managot, Senna Emiya, Shirou Emiya, Iskan, and me. If I included my vassal states, that would add the elder Elric brother and Vyyanguer. Speaking of the latter, apparently, his wife gave birth to triplets.

Back to topic. I also checked the quest to see how far along I was.

[9/25 S rankers]

... Still a long way to go.

...

Wait, something doesn't add up.

Even if I add Free Union S rankers, then that would be 7 S rankers, not 9. There are two more S rankers in my army?

Huh. Sweet.

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 277:**

I decided that some of the A rankers were ready to learn some skills from me.

The first thing I taught them, after explaining their readiness, was [Aegis Shield].

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 300:**

Of the ten A rankers who I've taught, only seven have managed to completely grasp and use [Aegis Shield].

Today, all of them reached at least LvL 3 on [Aegis Shield], so I decided to test them.

By taking on all seven of them.

I stood at the center of one of the Highlander sparring rings while the seven circled around me.

The rule of this spar was simple: only use [Aegis Shield] along with their primary class skills and related weapons.

I had a reason for this.

After teaching these seven, I came to the conclusion that [Aegis Shield] was a difficult skill to learn. However, I wanted to know if it would be worth it to make it a highly recommended skill to teach. After all, if these seven could not show me that it was a worthwhile skill for them to learn, then I had no reason to teach it to the warriors.

Again, it was Senna who was overseeing the judging -and had the betting pools running once more (though I doubted this particular pool was going to head to the clan fund).

"Begin!" she shouted with authority.

The first to move was a Knight-class human spearman. He coated the tip of his spear with [Aegis Shield] mid-motion. the spearhead quadrupled in size with none of the disadvantages of what such a heavy spearhead would do to the spear. If anything, his Knight-class skill [Motion Accel] pushed the spear even faster than what it would have been.

I slapped it away.

Just like that.

My strength was a bit too much for these guys, all of them being only A rank, but I was here in the ring with them to see,not have a good time.

He clicked his tongue in disappointment before he swung right back from where I had parried his spear.

He must have been training his arms to reverse such a momentum.

I parried it again. This time, I closed in on him and gently palm struck him on the chest. He was lifted up for a bit before he bounced away.

"Huh," I muttered. 'How much strength did I use there?' I mentally asked myself.

Ping! The Gamer responded for me.

**[44% of full strength palm strike]**

A yell took my attention, and I turned to face the latest challenger.

Or two. They got sneaky. While my attention had been drawn to the shouting warrior, another had snuck around my vision. Or tried to.

Cool fact. [Fast Strike] can apply to my eyes if I believe and move my eyes as if it was my hand "striking" at something.

Unlike the spearman, the yeller tried to push me away with [Aegis Shield].

From behind, the sneaky warrior lengthened his shortsword to a full blown longsword.

I sidestepped.

The two attacks struck each other and shattered, but I could already see a clear advantage in teaching [Aegis Shield] to willing and able fighters.

Right at this moment, when I was considering such things, the other four struck.

They were all Fighter-class warriors, so they were looking for a chance. My "sidestep" was slow enough for them to think that I lost my balance.

They had lengthened and hardened the hexagonal panels so that their reach may be longer.

They struck from above, below, left and right.

I...

Smashed through them with but a single swing (from their perspective).

All of their arms were wildly flung away while I stood where I had landed from my sidestep.

Then with one swing (again, from their perspective), I launched all four of them away.

* * *

Shirou sighed. Unlike most of the audience and the fighters in the ring, he was one of the few capable of seeing Ruto's devastatingly fast strikes.

The acceleration alone should have been enough to crush skulls and break ribcages, but the troll stopped himself down just before the struck made full contact. None of the warriors would be injured, but they might have bruises and shattered egos.

After all, who enjoys being demolished in two hits?

* * *

Roman Salazil gawked as his king blew away four of his comrades in two seconds flat.

He was a A ranker, and he couldn't do anything equivalent to what his king just did unless he was specifically fighting civilians! The strength and speed of those strikes! The accuracy and the softness before their landing!

It was madness.

Then the king turned to face him, and his back shivered in anticipation.

King Ruto smiled.

Roman gulped.

Then he was sent flying.

* * *

I whistled in surprise when that shielder managed to keep up his [Aegis Shield] up even after I struck him.

"Alright!" I grinned as I think you all did well. Perhaps a little bit more training, and several of you might become S ranker."

I was met with pained groans.

I chuckled. "It was just a tap!"

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 302**

In the end, I decided that it was worth it for all of my warriors, assassins, and mages to learn this skill. Hey, it could even be considered my clan's elite warrior signature technique.

* * *

**Part 2**

* * *

Akaogi-Min.

It was the land of rice.

It was the land of red tipped mountains.

It was the land of purple forests.

It was the land of green rivers.

It was also the land that housed the newly formed "Uchiha Clan," the current ruler of the land.

Its head, the infamous "Crow" Itachi Uchiha, sat in the halls of Uchiha Clan Compound.

In his room.

Surrounded by paperwork.

Despite being only twenty years old, he was no stranger to paperwork. After all, he had done plenty of them in his past life, whether it was after he turned in a bounty or after mission report. In a way, his past life had prepared him for this life.

However...

Akaogi-Min was also a young nation. Less than twelve years old, it was once a city-state that hung out in the northeastern corner of Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire's sphere of influence. It was when he became fifteen year old and took over his small merchant family's business as an assassin that he expanded his personal influence over the city.

Next the nearby villages.

Then the rivals of Akaogi-Min.

And finally, asshole raiders who had been pillaging the land as far as history records it.

This happened within five years. A city-state had gone from being a minor power at best to a nation that can send out ten thousand levies should a war be declared upon them.

However, this also meant that the rapid expansion of Akaogi-Min had resulted in some ... administrative mishaps.

For example, the Halls of Record of Akaogi-Min was never meant to house a national record volume; it was too small for that! But in his rapid expansion, Itachi had pushed that job of expanding the administration to someone incompetent (not that he knew it at the time).

So he was now stuck with all of the paperwork because he was unwilling to trust anyone else with it... for now.

All expansion had halted, and budget once allotted for military expenditure poured into the administration.

Itachi intended to copy his new nation's administration after the Kingdom of Simol, whose smooth administration ensured no record was lost.

It was simple; every decade or so, assigned military officers would go around the nation and perform demographics. Once that was complete, tax collectors would use those values to collect taxes from each state, who would collect from its villages, who would collect from each family. The tax may come in any form as long as the volume did not exceed a simple cart's capacity. Itachi imagined that with agriculture and fishing as main sources of income and subsistence, most of his taxes will be given as a form of food.

This one was not a fault of his own or his city. His rapid expansion did not translate to rapid spread of education on the level of the wealthier half of his original city held. Less education also meant slower spread of his city's culture, and that included the form of currency that his city used, paper money.

It would take some time, but Itachi was sure that the merchants would soon spread that piece of idea around quickly.

He would have to assign investigators so that his people would not be cheated, though, and that's another source of expenditure.

_Itachi would spend the next three months in this state of eternal paperwork and law making to the point that he cursed his current body's desire for conquest._

* * *

**Part 3**

* * *

When she stepped onto the land, she was ... understandably pissed.

After all, wouldn't you be pissed if you were kicked out from your position as Commander-in-Chief of your people's military because your beloved king's crown prince kicked you off the moment he took the crown?

Rather than live the rest of her _naturally, ridiculously, and stupendously _long life with that king, she left her kingdom and stepped onto land.

Now, this was unusual.

One, she was a woman. Women from her people did not travel on their own not just because traveling alone was dangerous but because women in general were scarce among them.

But hey, who's gonna stop the strongest warrior in all of the kingdom?

Second, she was of naga-descent merfolk.

Among the underwater denizens, there were seven or so main races.

The Merfolk and the Naga were the two biggest races of the seven.

Merfolk were known for their peaceful nature while the naga were known for their warfare and honor.

But the thing is both merfolk and naga were isolationists by nature. Extremely territorial too. It came with the need for food. Merfolk were peaceful, but lived a long time. As such, their population didn't quite stay small. The naga went to war almost on a daily basis. Both war and peace required a lot of food, and thus a lot of territory to sustain that style of life.

So this was why it was extremely weird for her to leave her kingdom.

She had both the advantage and disadvantage of being both a merfolk and naga. As a quarter naga, she enjoyed the strength, toughness, and innate magic of the naga, but she also needed to eat a lot. As a merfolk, she lived a long time, but also stuck to warmer waters and ate a lot to keep up her own metabolism.

Despite all of this, she left because her honor demanded it; she would not stay under the rule of an idiot who betrayed his own teacher.

So she traveled to the waterless lands. The surface.

She then found herself on yellow sandy beaches of Bamis Primacy.

After a quick look around, she took a quick deep breathe in before letting out an explosive exhale.

"It's been too bloody goddamn long!" she roared.

The odd fisherman who had been a kilometer northeast of her heard her roar and promptly fled.

She performed multiple stretches before grinning and started marching.

To where? She didn't know nor did she care.

It was adventure!

The Suplex Queen was back on land, so watch out world!

* * *

**Interesting News around the World  
****Rutos Year 5 + Day 311:  
(Caladrian Calendar March 15th, 891 of the Fifth Era)**

*Wuxian Union declares war on its three allied south-southwest-west neighbors.

*Somberas Republic of Unity and Power signs a mutual defensive military pact with Kingdom of Iop'Arge and Kingdom of Tyronia. The latter two are wary of Kingdom of Galburia's military build up while the former is afraid of expanding Caladrian influence.

*Blue Fire Drakken Flight attempts to install one of their own on the Elder Council of the Black Drakken Flight Hegemony, but was eventually thwarted.

*The 3rd Titan War continues with Ba'Pleigia and its neighbors. Raic-Duhlsi has joined the war on the Ba'Pleigia's side because they got fed up with the self-righteous attitude of the White Fire Drakken Kingdom, Thornscorch Drakken Kingdom, and Wo'Gaka Giant Clan.

*Yes, once more. Ulster and Raic-Dulhsi Vampiric Republic is at war. Again.

* In the first two months of the Maurya-Volreek-Hlyvonukos three way war, there has been seven battles. In total, the casualties are reported to be around ten thousand.

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)  
Sticking those Spies through their Spines (Ch. 96)**


	103. Chapter 103

_**Arc:  
Grinding Labyrinth**_

**Part 1: Sokar  
Part 2: Development  
**

* * *

**Part 1**

* * *

Sokar.

Technically, he was the racial leader of the Vashta Nerada, Faze, and the Phased.

In reality, such was not the case. While he held much respect from all of his people (the three mentioned beforehand), he held nowhere enough prestige, respect, and strength for the "clan" to accept him as their leader compared to who they wanted as their leader ... even if the person in question was his daughter.

Unfortunately, such a desire was a complicated and dangerous territory, for the one they desired for their racial leader was none other than his eldest daughter, Candy.

Or better known to their kind as the "Devourer Queen."

There was a reason for that, both for the leadership and the title.

Title is less completed so he often started his thought process about his daughter with it.

The ability to devour was one innate in all three known Vashta evolutions. It was how they survived, after all. But even then, they had a limited "space" for what they wait; they couldn't eat more than how big they were, after all. Magic was certainly involved in digesting bits and pieces faster, but space was still limited.

Candy was nothing like that. Whether by chance, luck, or magic, her capacity to "eat" was large.

Too large.

And Candy had an appetite to match it too.

It was actually for this reason that Candy was alone when she first contacted their king.

It was a self-imposed exile because if she stayed near the other Vashta Nerada swarms, she would eat them too.

She had to constantly eat. There was no stop to it. A single swarm of Vashta Nerada that she was then ate through a whole tree in less than a single day. That should not have been possible. The closest comparison would be if a single human man ate through an entire mountain in a day.

After meeting King Ruto, though, that appetite was curved significantly.

When he stood around King Ruto, he felt his appetite drastically dampen. This was actually something he noticed before, but not why.

It wasn't until today that Sokar understood that why.

The magical "leak" that King Ruto had around his presence was dense. Definitely not denser than those _delicious vapors _of liquid magic, but it was dense enough for his own mana reserves to greedily snatch it up out of the air.

It also did something that horrified Sokar.

As more and more of King Ruto's airborne mana he ate, the more he felt loyal to him.

The horror then came from the realization that his daughter was doing that to herself.

...

Still, the title of the "Devourer Queen" was something dangerous. For the "True Races," titles were just that: words. For monster races, though, title is something that is akin to innate magic. Greater the title, stronger the title affects the monster directly.

Take the title "Greatest Vashta," something he would like to have but could not. It was title strictly kept within his people's circle because, well, they were the Vashta evolutions! But the title "Greatest Vashta" gave its holder power a simple Vashta Nerada swarm cannot imagine.

Control over darkness, control over fear, control over hunger, control over decay... None of those were absolute, but the title gave the strongest Vashta control over _concept _-however little.

It was for this reason that King Ruto wasn't even more powerful than he already was. King Ruto was a Zandalari Troll as of the moment, the origin species to all existing troll sub-species.

Though titles didn't really affect his liege, if Sokar had to guess, there were at least fifteen "unofficial" titles running about regarding his liege.

Carnage King, Tinkerer King, Blacksmith Troll Lord, and many more.

But one that Sokar personally liked to tac on his liege was the unofficial title "Philosopher-King."

Ah, but he drifted again.

Title: Devourer Queen.

For Candy, this title was ... well, the origin of her issues.

The Devourer Queen was a title that just kind of appeared one day. After that, his daughter went nuts with hunger and led to ... all of this.

But it also tied in with the leadership issue.

"Devourer Queen" was a title that belonged to "Chaos" elements, but the Vashta were of the "Dark."

An individual of a species cannot take on the mantle of leader with a title that is not of the specie's element or nature, and one does not just throw away their title; title weaves itself to the being's magic for monsters.

There was also the fact that if Queen Candy appeared to favorite the Vashta too much, there would be high tension all around for "favoritism."

See? Complicated.

...

...

There was one way that he could get the position as the Vashta leader, but that required a lot of work...

While there was the "nomination" form of leadership, there was also "strongest in the area" form of leadership.

This was a lot of work, because Candy was once again stronger than him.

...

Oh woe is he.

...

...

'Ugh, I guess I should go out to train too...'

* * *

**Part 2**

* * *

**Year 5 + Day 364:**

_It was a beautiful day outside._

_Birds were singing. Flowers were blooming._

_And on days like this..._

I sighed as I took in the city before me.

Another year had passed.

A lot of things happened during the year. He got some serious upgrades, improved most of his skills, established better relations with his people and vassals outside of the capital.

On that note...

Over the last couple of days, he had been tinkering with his Gamer mechanics, and settling on tinkering with the [Nation Manager]. It was a feature that I had known about but did not use (Ch.91). Now, what gold can do in [Nation Manager] was pretty limited.

I learned once more that my Gamer was much more that I realized.

In my past experience with [Nation Manager], I only learned about what gold can do with it and how bad my national economy was doing (which Senna fixed by investing money into trade using my own funds).

I had not even checked out in details what other things about can do!

So I looked around for days on end until I found it.

[Prestige]. It was something that I've constantly built up that supposedly acted as my personal prestige. What I learned a few days ago was that Prestige could be converted to [Monarch Points], which I can use to improve a province's development.

The math involved, though, was anything but simple.

[Monarch Points] were split into 5 categories: Administrative, Influential, Diplomatic, Military, and Research.

Research and Military were simple enough in calculation. They had direct correlation to my own standing with the military and the researchers with no multiplier. What I could do with them also varied. I could improve the levy quality and quantity with Military Points as well as turning those levies into direct laborers where provincial and national development was concerned. Unfortunately, Military Monarch Points didn't affect the four orders within Ironwood City because even if they were underneath me in command, they weren't exactly part of the national "army," so to speak.

The Research Monarch Point was one that I could apply to everything. Research into infrastructure, research into culture, research into military technology, research into administrative techniques and procedures, and et cetera.

Administrative and Diplomatic Monarch Points were more complicated than just that. Administrative Monarch Point conversion relied heavily on my government type and government bureaucratic efficiency; the latter was calculated from the average efficiency of my government's bureaucrats. My government type was an Administrative Monarchy, which had a +10% multiplier.

Yay, free points!

Unfortunately, most of the bureaucrats in my kingdom, which included all bureaucrats outside of my city, weren't efficient at their job, giving me a current -14% multiplier. Together, I had a -4% multiplier for conversion.

Administrative Monarch Points could be used to disperse information and propaganda, increase taxes from special provincial products and luxuries, and et cetera.

Diplomatic Monarch Points were modified by how much we were _liked _by our neighbors. South Kermania was neutral towards us. The few small city-states between South Kermania and my kingdom were of varying opinion, but their opinions mattered little in the modifier. Then there was Galburia who hated me and my kingdom. Sarang and Carpathi were allied to my kingdom though, giving me an overall plus modifier. With Diplomatic Monarch Points, I could do some cool things, though. If my nation was strong enough, I could intervene in wars, though it would worsen my kingdom's relationship with the attacker if I did. I could also fabricate claims on my neighbors, but this also reduced relationship with them, which further affected how effect my Diplomatic Monarch Point conversion was.

At the same time, if I used my Diplomatic Monarch Point to compliment my neighbors or offer monetary aid in their time of need, they supposedly -according to my Gamer- will like me better, which will boost my Diplomatic Monarch Point conversion.

And then there was the Influential Monarch Point. This one applied to everyone and everything, and was the most complicated of all Monarch Points. During Prestige to Influential Monarch Point conversion, it takes into account _everything_. In fact, the amount of math involved makes me dizzy and some of the math involved is not numbers but full out letters. Its usage, though, was ridiculous. Influential Monarch Point could be used to lower building cost, back certain trades and businesses, reduce provincial unrest, and dissolve minor factions within my kingdom.

In fact, I used it three days ago to find those goddamn spies!

_"So... I just dumb as much Influential Points to local watches until I get them?" I asked myself as I stared at the panel before me._

_The panel in question was a sub-panel within the [City Manager]. It popped up after I inquired the Gamer about it through [Search]. It showed me how many possible dissenters per thousand residents were in the city, and the possible locations they may be hiding depending on each borough's "atmosphere."_

_So I converted about a thousand Prestige, which netted me a measly fifty Influential Monarch Points. Then I dumped the entire thing into the [Influence the Locals]. Nothing happened, but apparently something was in progress as far as the Gamer was concerned._

The next day, seven citizens brought in three dissenters, one of whom had supplied the poison used against me.

As I noted to myself, all of these Monarch Points were ... useful.

I jolted out of my thoughts when someone smacked the back of my head. I looked over my shoulder and found Candy there.

"You missed out on lunch."

I laughed nervously. "Sorry?"

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 13:**

"You want to hold a monthly tournament?" I asked Senna with a raised eyebrow. I know that Senna has always been the one managing the tournaments, official or not, since a few years ago, but for her to actively ask me to set up something like this was odd.

She nodded.

"I suppose I ca-"

"You will not join."

I looked at her in confusion. "Why not?" I asked.

"I want this tournament to be both a recruitment and money raiser."

"How is it going to do that?"

She scoffed and I just knew that she was thinking about how stupid I must be for asking that question without thinking on my own.

"I'm going to run an official betting ring using the tournament. Both the ticket to watch the tournament and the betting will be taxed, and considering how many people want to watch men and women duke it out in the ring, it'll make us some hefty income."

"But why not me?"

"Two reasons. First, you are the strongest in our kingdom right now. What's the point in entering the strongest person? Two, if you do get defeated by an outsider, it may affect morale of the nation. That's a no-go."

I nodded grudgingly. "Fine."

She smiled. "I also get the skim off the top a little."

"... You realize you just admitted to corruption to the king, right?"

"Are you going to do anything about it?" she asked with a bit of shadow appearing around us.

I glared at her. "No more than 0.1%."

She gawked at me. "T-That's no more than a few gold coins! 5% of the profit, at least! I suggested this after all!"

"It's our citizen's tax. 1%."

"4%."

"0.5%"

"?!"

I grinned. "I don't negotiate well."

"Fine, 1%!"

* * *

**Interesting News around the World  
****Rutos Year 6 + Day 30:  
(Caladrian Calendar March 15th, 891 of the Fifth Era)**

*Yoal-Cohkman Orcish Empire is in full civil rebellion. The concurrent events of emperor's death, widespread famine and drought, military unease, and local lords' cruelty have finally blown the lid on the empire's bereaved populace.

*Worldwide appearance of bandits and vagabonds have increased by 45%.

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)  
Sticking those Spies through their Spines (Ch. 96)**


	104. Chapter 104

***Map updated for Year 6 + Day 30.**  
***Ruto's Stats updated, also for Year 6 + Day 30.**

* * *

**Seems I mixed up Juras, Riddle, and Iskan. Fixed it on 10/29/2016**

* * *

_**Arc:  
Grinding Labyrinth**_

**Part 1: Border Skirmish  
Part 2: Half-Truths  
Part 3: Back to the Dungeons**

* * *

**Part 1**

* * *

Iskan grunted as he looked around the city of Asm.

He had been for a month now, and it was looking to be a long duty for him.

Thankfully, his wife, was with him.

Originally, the City of Asm was a minor city that dealt with agricultural products. After the assault upon it a few months ago, however, it was in the process of being turned into a fortress city. It was a process that would take the city three years.

There were many reasons for such a massive construction, but the main reasons were thus:

1) By turning Asm into a fortress city, it would secure the heartland of the western border.

2) Should the Galburian-Ironwood war start a few years from now, it would serve as a point from which the Ironwood military can strike at the Galburians from.

3) And lastly, the construction of such a fortress city would boost the economy for the money such a project would spend. Stoneworkers, masons, woodcutters, and similiar workers would be hired from all over the kingdom. While this would drain the kingdom's coffers a bit, the benefits of spreading wealth was much more important than a few thousand coins; it would stimulate trade (hopefully).

That was the gist that Iskan understood.

However, all of this was also under the condition that Asm wasn't raided to death by the Galburians, which was why he, his wife, six hundred of the Highlander warriors, fifty Cataclysm mages, and ten healers were here. Strictly speaking, this "army" that he was leading was worth ten thousand regular infantry and its supports.

Well-

"RAIDERS TO THE NORTH!" a messenger shouted from the top of the battlement.

Goddamn those fuckers, Iskan cursed as he hefted his tower shield and ran towards his kodo. "Get the kodo riders ready! We're chasing those bastards down!"

Even with his heavy plate armor and tower shield, he jumped two meters into the air and landed on his kodo (named CHHHARRRGGEEE by his caretaker). He kicked into the side of his kodo, which only served to alert the thick skinned kodo that had its head in a barrel of hay.

* * *

On such a short notice, there were only a hundred kodo riders available, but thankfully, kodos were all big enough to allow two to three warriors to ride them.

Let kodos not be dissed for horses. A kodo had thick skin and could take on nearly a ton for armor, which made them charging boulders. Horses were slightly faster yes, but kodos had much more endurance than horses.

They were also _big_.

The last note was something that the raiders intimately learned as nearly two meter shoulder-tall, black and white war painted, and certainly angry brown and yellow kodos charged at them.

Iskan made sure of that.

"CHARRGGGEEE!" he commanded, and the ninety-nine other kodo riders all roared as they let their ride shoot across the plains.

The raiders quickly gathered their forces, about five hundred lightly armored troops with few cavalrymen here and there, and met them on the plains just outside of a small town.

Iskan roared as he bashed into a raider his kodo charged by. There was a crunch and the body was sent flying. His kodo did not stop charging, and slammed its horn into a horse that had the misfortune of running across in the kodo's vision.

The horse's dying shriek tore at its rider's ears, but it was nothing compared to the agony he felt as his leg shattered to pieces under the kodo's thrusting horn.

Iskan didn't have time to admire his kodo's work. He quickly brought up his shield as one of the cavalry tried to slice his head off. His shield blocked it half a meter off from his neck, and the strength of the strike left the horsemen reeling in pain. Not wasting any time, Iskan pulled out a throwing dagger from his belt and threw it. With a _thunk_ the horseman got the dagger impaled on his chest.

While this was happening, the archers riding with the kodo riders all let loose carefully aimed arrows at the raiders.

Well, except for one of them.

A human gunslinger cackled as he pulled out his dual revolvers, a prize from the Mentor Shirou for winning the latest archery competition, and fired off devastating rounds into the enemies without mercy. Those struck by the "bullets" reeled back as if they were stabbed by a spear before falling down in agony or death.

Iskan shuddered a bit. As a warrior, he disdained those guns, even if they were extremely effective in combat. They just didn't have the personal feeling that swords, shields, or even polearms had. They were indifferent to the people they killed. They brought death too fast.

He grunted as his kodo buckled under him, charging forward without his command. It ran over four men before it came to a stop. Iskan glanced over his shoulder, and felt a bit of a pity for the men who died to a kodo charge of all things. They didn't even get to die to a sword like a warrior should.

He scoffed at his own mental words. A warrior? These fuckers were raiders. He shouldn't be feeling pity for them.

'... Ugh, this is what I'm going to be doing for the next four years. Just driving thieves out,' he thought grimly.

* * *

**Part 2**

* * *

"Sans!"

The necromancer groggily looked about. He felt tired and weak. He hadn't felt this way for a _long time_. Why now-?

He looked at the hand that he had pulled up absentmindedly.

There was blood on it.

...

Oh.

He remembered now.

...

Fucking Galburians.

He and Frisk had been just roaming the countryside, trying to make their way towards the Ironwood Clan. They opted to take the short way to the Ironwood Clan territory by traveling through the Free Union territory, which was much safer than Sarang territory; the former was as stable a duchy could be, but the latter was still experiencing a few rebel groups here and there. With unrest comes suspicion of outsiders, and a necromancer was not something people let go easily.

So they had agreed to travel along the border for now.

Unfortunately, they weren't as up-to-date with the international news as the national leaders would be, and found themselves crossing the path of a elite Galburian raiding party.

Frisk had tried to talk out of it, but the Galburians only saw a young girl they could fuck for days on end.

Sans pulled out all of his Gaster Blasters and fired off, but it was a rather large raiding part composed of a thousand or so fighters. Even with a few dozen dead from his Gaster Blasters, there were still hundreds trying to kill them. Sans tossed Frisk on top of a Gaster Blaster and they ran away.

Unfortunately, arrows were much faster than a flying Gaster Blaster, even at latter's full speed.

He remembered now. He took a few arrows to his shoulder and ribs after bodily shielding Frisk from them.

"Ow," he muttered as the pain radiated like the burning summer sun from where the arrows struck him. Speaking of arrows, instead of arrows, he saw bandages instead. "Frisk...?"

"You're awake!" she exclaimed.

Sans took her in for a second. She looked like hell. Her hair was messed up, she had tear marks, her clothes were ruffled, and she had bags under her eyes. Had she been nursing him?

"Kid... I told you. I'm a nercomancer. I don't die easily. I'm sure ... I got pass the stage of ... _necro_sis_."_

She just deadpanned.

Sans kept on grinning.

She smacked him over the head.

After a while, they came to a decision. Considering the kind of hell they almost threw themselves into, Sans and Frisk agreed rather solemnly that perhaps just cutting straight through the Grand Duchy of Sarang to reach the nearest Ironwood Clan border was for the best.

* * *

While Frisk slept, Sans crept back to the little skirmish area where they and the raiders met. There were still plenty of dead people here that he had offed, though the lack of armor, weapons, and clothes on the dead pointed to the ruthlessness of the raiders.

He scoffed. Who was he kidding? He was here to do the same as well.

His eyes scanned the area, lighting up in its eerie blue wisp form.

'I suppose this is one difference,' he thought to himself as his eyes saw nothing around them. 'In our past life, I was the guardian, and she was the destroyer.'

He walked over to the dead bodies, and his eyes spotted the glowing, dark sprites that hung there.

His hand reached out, and scooped them up.

And _crushed them_.

'But in this life, I'm the destroyer. Rather ironic, isn't it?' he thought to himself as the remnants of the destroyed Humanity fueled him. The crushed soul of the dead raider seeped into him. The wounds on him closed rapidly; he checked by looking underneath the haphazardly bound bandages around his ribs.

His boney cheeks swelled just a bit and his bones grew thicker.

'Because Frisk, unlike you...'

_'This isn't my second life.'_

* * *

**Part 3:**

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 75:**

I grunted as I lifted the pickaxe again and struck down.

With a mighty clank... the pickaxe broke.

"Ah, come on!" I roared in frustration.

The source of my frustration was in front of me, a small mound of ores that bulged out of the cavern walls of the [Rock Elemental Dungeon].

Mining was not my forte, I know this. My mining skill LvL wasn't even 10. So for me to try this was ... futility.

But there was a small [Inferior Mithril] deposit here! I can't just look away! This dungeon also resets the caverns every time I come out of it!

And well, now my pickaxe is broke.

I thought about using my strength to just pry it off, but I didn't know what kind of effect it would have on the stability of this nastily small cavern, which was just barely taller than me. The mound itself was sticking out of the wall just barely, and the ore itself seemed to be quite big.

Ugh. I seriously do not want a cave-in. I had no idea how deep I was in. If a cave-in happens, I may end up dying, and that's a no-go.

I may be a goddamn superman as far as my people are concerned, but I don't think I can live through a cave-in, especially if there is a mountain on top of me.

I spat in frustration and moved on.

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 76:**

"You want me to join you, chief?"

Dresa. Though she hadn't done much in the Small Chief Council as of late, she still led the kobolds as their racial leader and took care of the mining operations alongside the Dhan'Thal dwarves. She was also the best miner that I personally who had a decent sense of danger, which was a necessity in any dungeons I make with [Instant Dungeon].

"Yeah," I replied. "I was thinking about making a small mining operation out of it because we can mine without having to go deep like the dwarven mines."

She gave me a look that just bluntly described her curiosity and suspicion. "...What's the real reason chief? I don't mind, but it ain't like ya to drag me off to the dungeons. Ya never did before."

I shrugged. "It's not like I'm proficient or even distinguished at mining. Hell, my pickaxe broke when I tried to mine."

Dresa facepalmed. "How-?"

"Mithril ore was tougher than I thought."

Now, she looked livid.

* * *

So apparently, I wasn't supposed to "dig" up a mithril ore. Instead of digging or pickaxing it out of the walls or ground, I was supposed to dig around it.

For all of the points in my INT and WIS, sometimes, I feel like an idiot. Perhaps this is more about experience than brainpower? I would be, I supposed. If I don't know much about the subject -like mining- I wouldn't know what to do.

Dresa agreed to come, but also expected three more miners to come with her and two more fighters to defend them. I agreed.

One of the two I brought along was a Cataclysm mage, whose spellwork was based mostly around water and metal. The other fighter was a Highlander warrior.

And so, with all of the parties gathered, we set off.

Entering a dungeon for all of them was a new experience, even if a few of them had heard about my dungeons about their peers.

Especially the Highlander warrior. He was shaking in his boots. I wonder what kind of horror stories he heard from the guys I personally trained a few months ago...

Well, on that note, we began a small operation going. I headed the group while the warrior stayed in the back; everyone else was in the middle.

The miners brought with them sunstones, which had been mined from from underneath our city for a very long time now. In fact, it was one of the first materials we discovered along with the ironwood tree. Guess what name my clan would've been named if I didn't like the ironwood tree?

The sunstones lit up the cavern system well enough, and though all of us were of varying sizes and shapes, the cavern was wide enough that the tallest of us -me- did not the ceiling merely by jumping. This was something I took note of. When I come alone, which is most of the time, the ceiling was lower. But now that I'm here with more people, the ceiling was higher and the cavern was wider. Perhaps my dungeon creating mechanism took into account the number of people I brought in with me? The only times I've done such a party entry was outside in the [Eldritch Forest].

Distracted by my own thoughts, I missed the first attack flung at me.

It was a very sharpened rock, and it struck me in the shoulder.

**-5 Physical Damage!**

... And I also forgot that due to LvL and stat difference, nothing inside this particular dungeon did much damage to me.

I opened up the [Inventory] with a mental command, and pulled out Peacemaker version 2. It was really just the repaired Peacemaker with reinforced and enchanted handle for lighter weight control.

It also dealt Blunt type physical damage, which was best against these rock and earth elementals.

A rock elemental appeared up ahead, who was probably also the one who threw that rock at me.

"Alright, buddy," I grinned as I spun Peacemaker around once. "Show me what you're made out of!"

By the way, I meant that literally. Some of these Rock Elementals had diamond and gold inside of them.

* * *

The total loot of the day was thus:

[Iron Ore] x2,213  
[Gold Ore] x441  
[Gold Nugget] x15  
[Mithril Ore] x2  
[Mithril Shard] x9  
[Pollodium Ore] x191  
[Pollodium shard] x3,283  
[Essence of Lesser Earth] x20  
[Essence of Greater Earth] x2

Having people working with you in the mines like this really helped with the output. Of course, as payment, I allowed them to keep one [Mithril Shards] and two [Gold Nugget] each. It was more than what they usually earned.

As for the essences, last time I saw them, I was too busy trying to earn myself points in the [Gamers' Market] to really look into them.

**[Essence of Lesser Earth**  
**Crafting Material**  
**Recipe: -unknown-**  
**Quality: Uncommon**  
**Description: Weak earth and rock elementals hold their magical core in the form of these essences.]**

**[Essence of Greater Earth**  
**Crafting Material**  
**Recipe: -unknown-**  
**Quality: Rare**  
**Description: Strong earth and rock elementals hold their magical core in the form of these essences.]**

So at least they were worth something. Maybe I should split them up evenly and hand them to the mages, forges, and the research department. See what they make out of it. Maybe Riddle would know, but she was heading to the western border with her husband Juras after I ordered Juras to reinforce the western border.

As for the rest of the materials, aside from the gold ores and nuggets, I gave everything to the forges for them to make refine them.

* * *

**Interesting News around the World  
****Rutos Year 6 + Day 100:  
(Caladrian Calendar March 15th, 891 of the Fifth Era)**

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)  
**


	105. Chapter 105

***Fixed the Selma=Salem mistake.  
*Fixed other grammatical and spelling mistakes that I could fine.**

* * *

_**Arc:  
Grinding Labyrinth**_

**Part 1: Politicking, Paperwork, and Trouble  
Part 2: High-End Betting  
Part 3: Quonx Arc  
**

* * *

**Part 1**

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 117:**

I grinned as I gave all of the party members a share of their loot before sending them on their way.

Just as the sun was setting, the [Rock Elemental Dungeon Miners] party, as named by yours truly, had finished our daily run of the dungeon.

I also noticed that people came to want to join me in my dungeon runs. I supposed that they all wanted to make good money, which my dungeons were, and I was getting a lot of requests to take others with me.

Now, I had originally thought that I was not going to; it would just take too much time and too much effort to sort through everyone to find the right kind of specialists or all-rounders. And of course, I would have to set aside everyone who couldn't survive. It would've been a big hassle, and would probably eat up a lot of my time because if I allowed someone to enter but not others, there would be unhappy at the least and unrest at the worst as people fear the rise of favoritism and nepotism.

See? I learn! Senna still thinks I don't...

But then I realized it wasn't simple as that. If I don't take people along, there were going to be those who weren't going to be happy about that either.

I could just imagine their faces and their grumbles.

'Oh, the king thinks we're too weak. That's why he won't take us.'  
'He's favoring the guys he's taking with him only.'  
'He only cares about the elite.'

And so on and so on.

I realized that it was going to be a loss either way, but at least I had the excuse of training the Highlanders if I decided to take them with me as with other order members.

I will have to think more on this.

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 118:**

I know that Candy was probably not the best person to talk about politicking with, but with everyone else occupied and with Candy being my wife and whatnot, I decided that it was better than stewing alone. Who knows, she might have a good idea.

"Candy?"

She looked up from breastfeeding Irowa. "Hey," she grinned. "Kind of early, isn't it? You're normally out until sunset."

... I suppose this was a bad sign in and of itself. Candy expected me to be out of our home for almost all of the day. And she was happy to see me so early. Or I was just reading too deep into a few words, but still a food for thought.

I smiled back weakly. "I want your opinion on something."

She blinked before her eyes widened. "Alright."

"So you know that I've been going through the dungeons with some of our guys, right?"

She nodded. "One that I've also been wanting to go through."

I cringed. "Right... Well, I began to get a lot of request from our people to allow them to join me. I didn't want to take anyone with me besides the people I already pointed out because well, you know. I don't think a merchant would do well in the dungeon. Especially that fat human from Galburia."

Candy giggled. "He'd probably end up as food for the trees or something."

"Exactly," I replied with a grin. "And even if I took him to the lower level dungeons, he'd still be trashed. So I decided initially that I wasn't going to take people... but I ran into a problem."

"?"

"People would start to talk about favoritism."

There was a pause before Candy grinned. "Does it matter?"

I looked at her, shocked. 'Okay, I suppose I should've expected this from her,' I thought to myself.

"The people are exactly that, your people. They are not your boss nor your peers but they certainly are your responsibility. It would be against your responsibility to endanger them needlessly."

I agreed with her. "Right."

"It is your duty, dear husband, to safehold your newfound kingdom, not to baby your people," she replied. "But it is also your duty to make sure that you make good connections to make sure you can easily defend your kingdom from within and without."

I raised my eyebrow.

"Favors, Ruto," she replied. "You can easily convince the powerful and wealthy from the merchants and nobles for their favors. You can use those favors to keep others in check, and in return, all you have to do is allow their children or even themselves to come and enjoy some of their time with you."

"You think that'll work?" I asked.

"I'm sure," she replied with a grin. "Or you can do what Senna loves to do."

"... Lottery?"

She nodded with a quiet giggle.

Ever since her evolution into a fey, Senna has become more ... involved in the underground financial deals of the city. By no means was this illegal, and considering that the city and the kingdom made decent gold out of it will never be so, but her evolution had caused what was once a means to an end into a hobby.

Yes, Senna had become a gambler.

And considering her position as the chief administrator of my kingdom, that was not that great. Fortunately, Senna had great deal of restraint...

I digress. Candy's recommendation had merit, though.

I gave her a kiss on the cheek and Irowa a kiss on the forehead before heading out again. I promised them I would be back before dinner today. Candy seemed happy about that.

* * *

Once I was in my private office/library (Senna had installed nine bookshelves twice as tall as I was in the office when I wasn't looking), I sat down and began to think.

Favors. It wasn't something I was familiar with, at least on the scale of political scene.

... I wonder if there's a book on politics in [Gamers' Market].

I opened up the market menu and looked for it.

**[Recommendations:**

**Introduction to Politics by Robert Garner**  
**Posted by John Mitchell 0030**  
**Price: 1 gold - [BUY] ]**

Well, there it was. I pressed [BUY]. A single gold coin disappeared from my inventory and I now had a [Introduction to Politics] in my inventory. I pressed on it to learn its skill.

**[Error. Not a skill book.]**

... Wut.

* * *

I found out after half an hour of talking with my seniors on the [Gamers' Market] that politick was not one of those skills that you can learn through a skill book. It was more of an understanding of psychology, basic human behavior ramped up to extreme, and effects of other interpersonal skills like [Negotiation] and [Persuasion].

... Guess I'm gonna read the book anyway then. I do need more understanding after all.

I wonder if psychology is a skill...

...

Yup. Better learn it.

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 123:**

Report from the western front came in.

_Report on western frontier province of Northern Dynland_  
_Report Date: 3.20.891_  
_Reportee: Juras Managot_  
_*Yeah, I accidentally blew up one of the watchtowers fighting a raid. Sorry about that._  
_*Got no one worth their damn salt out here._  
_*Lost 17 levies and 1 Highlander warrior. Requesting permission to recruit more levies to make up for losses._  
_*The Dhan'Thal dwarf you assigned to me told me to include this in my report, so here I go:_  
_-Fertile Land_  
_-No precious metal veins spotted. At all._  
_-Tax in the territories have been laxed as you have asked._  
_-The Noble House of Yilsu has been adamant about not paying full tax, stating that the Ironwood King had violated the feudal contract._

I frowned at the last part. "What feudal contract?" I muttered to myself. "It was either get out of my land or obey the laws. There was no feudal contract," I grumbled to myself. "Guess I'll have to clear them out." I pulled out a paper from one of the many piles on top of my desk and hastily made note of this.

_Report on western frontier province of Unorganized Territory_  
_Report Date: 4.1.891_  
_Reportee: Iskan_  
_*Juras is blowing up watchtowers. He can't seem to control his more explosive attacks in confined spaces. He can't determine whether or not he should be using them in confined spaces. Requesting removal of Juras Managot from the Northern Dynland and to be placed in Unorganized Territory in my stead. There's less to destroy out here._  
_*Highlander recruits are being sent to the Ironwood City. All of them have passed my preliminary testing. _  
_*Encountered a small refugee, former slaves most likely from the abrasions on their neck, ankle, and wrists. I assigned three Highlanders to lead them back to the Ironwood City._  
_*Previous unknown lizardmen settlements have been discovered. As per instruction, I made the kingdom's stance clear to them._

"...What exactly is clear? How did you make it clear?" Again, I made note to send a messenger to get him to send me a more detailed report on the lizardmen settlements. "And what are the lizardmen even doing there?" I muttered to myself.

I knew that lizardmen were hardy people; the average strength of the lizardmen were twice their own weight compared to a human's weight to strength inefficiency.

I couldn't deal with these lizardmen in the same fashion as I dealt with the Lower Carpathi lizardmen and their cities; the "feel" of the report was that the lizardmen settlements were more likely to be small villages rather than full blown out cities with alliances and whatnot. I also highly doubted "previously unknown settlements" could be cities, especially considering that the territory in question had been under the control of xenophobic and slave-making Galburia mere four years ago.

I doubted there was more than a thousand lizardmen in those settlements.

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 125: **

More reports and paperwork.

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 126:**

Paperwork.

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 128: **

_Paperwork~_

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 134: **

Goddamned bloody paperwork! Where's Senna?!

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 139:**

I grumbled as I signed off on the last paperwork.

"I'm done," I grunted after throwing the pen into the air. "I'm done. I'm done. I'm done. I'm done. I'm done. I'm done. I'm done."

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 143:**

With the paperwork hell behind me, I could finally do what I want!

... Or I would have if I hadn't kept Candy's suggestion in mind.

"Your Majesty! The Dhan'Thal tunnels collapsed!"

"...WHAT?!"

* * *

Turns out the dwarves, in their fervor and love of the earth, had dug too recklessly. They had expanded their mines too fast and haphazardly.

"What exactly caused this cave-in, Golthaum?" I asked the chieftain of the Dhan'Thal Clan.

The grey dwarf sighed. "We got greedy, that's what happened," he grumbled as he stroked his impressive round beard. I suspect we didn't have enough supports for the mines-"

"You what?" I growled.

Supports in the mines was a necessity. How else were you going to keep the entire mountain above you? To neglect supports in the mines was to say to the miner "I want you to go in there and die."

"Like I said," Golthaum looked embarrassed and very nervous now. "We got too greedy."

I facepalmed. "I can't believe this is happening. This shouldn't even be happening," I muttered. "How many are stuck inside?"

"'Bout five."

Dresa walked up to me. "The tunnels are way to unstable to dig around. It'll take too long, too," she reported with a grimace. "Whoever you send will end up dead."

"How deep are they in?" I asked as I looked about the area.

The tunnel that collapsed was in the deeper end from the rest of the Dhan'Thal and kobold mines. We were in a manager's station roughly two kilometers beneath the lowest levels of the Dhan'Thal City limits. There were four other dwarves and two reptilian kobolds around us. And one tauren shaman, who I turned to.

"Anything you can try?"

He shook his head.

I grunted. This was getting nowhere. If the [Dungeon Creation] had a spatial displacement, then I could use that to get in there, but it doesn't-

...

...

...

...

"What are the names of the trapped miners?" I asked Golthaum.

The dwarf chief looked downtrodden, and handed me a list on a brown paper. It was a roll call, something like a workplace's "who came to work today" roll call. The latest marks on the list was the hastily made scratches of ink crossing out the names of the miners that had been counted, leaving the names of those trapped clear for me to see.

I grinned.

"[Invite Arian Hohawki, Bosol Growlkin, Yimmie Axerinder, Erium Quasomaan, and Voloxi Oins to party]."

I waited.

Four of the five accepted. I frowned. "[Invite Bosol Growlkin]."

A pause. Then he accepted.

[Instant Dungeon: Empty]!" I casted the skill, and soon, everything around me was gone... and replaced by an empty plain with tall grass. Around me were the trapped miners.

They looked around, confused and dazed. Then they saw me, and I waved.

"Time to get you home."

* * *

The situation resolved seamlessly, and for that, I was thankful.

* * *

**Part 2**

* * *

It is a common sight within the Ironwood City.

What exactly is 'it'?

Betting, of course!

Now, there were numerous laws regarding it. In fact, the amendments regarding betting was half as long as the rest of the written law combined.

Just shows how much the higher-ups of the Ironwood Kingdom thought about gambling.

But most of it was centered around the martial and magical tournament held at the Central Colosseum. It wasn't a grand structure like one would find in the capital of Galburia or the capital of Caladria. In fact, it was red-brick ground no wider than a hundred meters in radius at its widest.

At the center of its structure was a barren, open field.

Upon on, magicians and warriors fought for both glory and profit.

"... And coming up next, we have our weekly champion, Isk kar the Fire Lord!" the announcer declared with all the flare of a peacock.

The crowd, some four hundred people who came straight to the colosseum right after work, cheered.

"And his contender is a wandering traveler from the east! A man of martial might and strength, please welcome Gerald Hipstock!"

Isk Kar entered the ring. His magicially fire resistant pair of linen pants fluttered while his exposed upper body flared as bits of fire came off of it.

From the other side of the ring, a man of considerable height entered the ring. Standing nearly twice the height of Isk kar, Hipstock looked monstrous, especially with those muscular arms that was about as thick as a dwarf's head. He flexed his arms, and they nearly doubled in size after that.

The crowd whistled.

* * *

From the VIP box close to the rings, five individuals were quickly exchanging bets with a state-sponsored bookmaker.

The fattest of them, though not obese, was a merchant who had grown in wealthy by trading hemp produced in the nearby plantations of Ironwood City. He bought as much hemp as he could at cheap price, turned them into hemp oil, and then turned the hemp oil to varnish and lacquer to be sold elsewhere. Hemp bought in large quantities was cheap by the liter (a mere 3 gold coins per metric ton of hemp) and refined to such goods netted this man a monthly profit of 217 gold coins.

"200 gold coins for the new guy," he said casually, and the bookmaker wrote them down.

The leanest of the bidders was a lizardmen noble from the Lower Carpathis. He had seen the centralization of power moving in towards Ironwood City, and had opted to move his family's fortune to the capital city's immediate area. As of the moment, he owned 41 kodos, 88 acres of farmland (half of which were hemp), and 3 merchant outposts around the two Carpathi provinces. Though not as rich as the first bidder, he was by no means poor; with an income of 91 gold coins per month, he was still one of the richest individuals in the Ironwood Kingdom.

"Wife wouldn't let me bring more than 50 gold coins today, so I'll just chip those in with the new guy."

The others laughed.

"I'll match darling Ssimoyuis, but for Isk kar."

The owner of the third voice was a gorgeous human lady. Looking to be in her prime, she was a caravan magnate who had taken her business from accident- and revolution-prone lands of Kermania to more stables lands of Ironwood Kingdom. Though the kingdom was involved in a lot of fighting, none of it truly reached the heartland of Ironwood Kingdom for a long time now.

"Eh... I'll abstain this time."

The nasally fourth voice belonged to a sickly looking drakken. He was big, taking up almost four times the volume of the fattest merchant, but by no means was this drakken fat. This drakken was the clan leader of Monferrati Clan, a Tyronian drakken clan dating back thousands of years to the past. At the age of eight hundred years old, he was quite the size (because the drakken never stop growing, period. It may slow down, but never stop).

And the last person?

Why, it was the "Queen" of the Ironwood Kingdom herself.

Senna Emiya.

She looked at Gerald for a moment before she sighed. "I'll match Ssimoyuis for Isk kar."

The bookmaker wrote down everything before turning to the fat merchant. "Your bet is higher than the others ladies and gentlemen, Sir Merchant Trovoa. Would you like to match them?"

The merchant nodded before pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his forehead.

* * *

Senna, or Sakura Matou as she had been in her previous life, wondered how her past self would look upon her now.

She may been "powerful" in her past life, but she was not as powerful as she was now.

Senna, the "Queen" of the Ironwood Kingdom.

Senna, the central administrative figure of the Ironwood Kingdom.

Senna, the only fae in a hundred kilometer of herself.

Senna, the wife of Shirou Emiya.

Senna, the Gambler.

...

Yeah, her past self would definitely not like the last title, but she was different now in this life.

This ... fae body of hers was different. There was no restriction as she saw it; there were only what she restricted herself upon. Pleasure was a welcome factor in her life; they would not denied. Entertainment had become more of a priority than before.

In fact, her life seemed much more alive and yet at the same time less. The purity she once possessed no longer mattered to her much, but the lack of it was surely affecting her.

'Ugh,' she thought to herself before letting out a sigh.

"Something wrong, mistress?"

She looked over her shoulder, and looked at the towering black oak ent.

It was one of the trees from the Cursed Forest. On a whim, she had decided to experiment with the trees there, and managed to make one become a "Cursed Ent." It called itself Maokai and constantly grumbled about his state of living. Or rather, being; Maokai just wanted to go back to being a tree.

"They are starting."

* * *

Isk kar dashed forth and punched the giant with all he had.

A small explosion erupted from where his fist struck the giant, and the man staggered backward.

"Yer 'retty stron' for a sma' guy!" Gerald roared with laughter as he gingerly touched the burned areas of his abdomen. "Oh, 'at's gonna hurt 'morrow."

Then he threw his own fist.

Isk kar sidestepped it narrowly and struck the giant's forearm, causing another explosion of fire and smoke.

The crowd roared as the giant's forearm bounced away, and he let out a grunt.

"Is that all you mortals can do?" Isk kar scoffed, producing a small jet of fire to snort through his nose.

Gerald growled. "'ell, why the 'ell zya 'ave to be so rude?! Fine then! Fuck ye!"

His fists came in barrages. They came in fast and hard, worthy of being called numerous. Isk kar took twelve hits in four seconds, and crashed into the ring's magical barrier with a resounding crash. He fell to the ground, and Gerald raised both of his fists up. "HAH! Not 'o tough are ya?!"

Isk khar just stood right back up, and dusted himself (but was the dusting necessary?).

"Good punch," Isk kar replied before he threw his own barrage.

Unlike Gerald's barrage, Isk kar's fists were visibly slower, but by no means were they weaker.

It was an explosion that rocked the entire colosseum.

The giant flew backward and there was a sharp crack.

He had broken through the barrier.

"The winner: Isk kar!"

The crowd roared in approval, and soon bets were being exchanged.

* * *

**Part 3**

* * *

In the lands far to the east of Ironwood Kingdom, there existed a nation whose people were ... quirky.

Well, quirky at best. At the worst, they were nightmare, and that's exactly how the leadership of the Quonx Grand Republic thought about their people.

Unlike the rest of the world, the lands of the Quonx Grand Republic was built upon an ancient civilization that once existed far beyond the times of 1st era of the Caladrian Empire, and perhaps even beyond the times before the Great Devastation Sea and its legendary empires. This ancient civilization was, however, very experimental with their people.

The disgusting dog-people with nineteen eyes, half a stump of a leg, six tails, and four dicks that kill anything that gets close to them with their hook-tipped tails that extends nearly fifty meters? That's one of the descendants of that ancient civilization.

Unfortunately, those experiments went beyond just affecting the people and the land they lived on as well.

Because of this, tens of millions of years after their existence, the Quonx Grand Republic and its people felt the sin of that ancient civilization to this day.

How?

Well, fruits from plants grown on certain areas caused severe mutations, which left people more alive than not, though most wished they died.

People who _grew up_ on certain areas talked of being haunted by ghosts of the dead. Or the living. Or those in between.

And there were some rather lucky individuals who were were able to gain powers that even A rank magicians would drool at.

Jaune Arc was one such individual.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" he shouted repeatedly as he jumped over industrial obstacles made of iron bars, nets, people, and more people.

And by him "jumping" over, he was doing something that was considered too costless for most magicians.

He teleported.

To magicians of the west (from Quonx perspective), teleportation required great deal of calculation and magic as well as time spent on research (because there are many ways to go about it and you have to learn at least one of them).

Jaune, though? He required no calculation nor mana. Just stamina of his body. To him, teleportation was instinctual.

In fact, teleportation was one of the hall mark of his nation's people; of the three million people living in Quonx Grand Republic, thirty thousand or so individuals have one form or another method of teleportation.

But why was he running?

Well, because he had done a big 'oopsies.'

As a member of the seedier side of life -aka the underworld-, Jaune did what he had to do to get by, even if that meant using his teleportation to haul narcotic drugs in and out of the state to sell to suppliers in other nations. Now the Quonx Grand Republic turned a blind eye to people like Jaune because they weren't selling to their citizens, but what Jaune did get was the attention of the local Quonx cartel who had been running drugs where Jaune ran his. Why did Jaune get their attention? For one, he was selling drugs in their territory without permission. Two, he was selling for cheaper and greater quantity. Three, he just fucked the cartel boss's youngest daughter.

Needless to say, Jaune got their full attention. So he ran like he always did. He jumped over people, and he jumped over buildings. Hell, he even jumped through dangerous industrial areas of the city because he hoped it would lose his chasers.

He looked over his shoulder just in time to see three teleporters appear with swords and daggers.

Nope, he didn't lose them.

So he jumped again.

_... He wished Yang was here to take care of them, like she always did in his past life._

_Or Pyrrha, because she always gave him good advice and supported him in everything -most- that he did._

_Or Ren. Or ... even Cinder._

_Because it was lonely as hell here. No parents. No siblings._

He jumped again.

_No friends. No school._

He jumped again.

_Just him. He fucking hated it._

He stopped. The emotional train of thoughts finally getting to him.

_He hated being lonely._

"Oh, you finally stopped, brat."

_He FUCKING hated it._

Jaune looked over his shoulder.

"...What's with that cold look, yo? The boss just wants to talk with you."

Jaune didn't reply.

But there was something worse than this loneliness. This longing to be.

When the quonx, that's what they called magicians here, stepped forward, Jaune smiled.

_He became what he fought against. _

"You trying to be c-"

_A Great Evil._

The lead quonx fell silent and then his upper body fell forward and his legs fell backward. The goons screamed and yelled in surprise before they were on him.

Jaune's smile widened impossibly.

_He should've killed Salem quickly instead of torturing her for what she had done. That bitch changed him before killing him... And it carried over._

Grimm rose up from the ground, glorious in their black fur and red eyes.

_And do you know what's worse?_

Jaune watched as the Grimm fell upon the quonx, who in their surprise couldn't teleport out fast enough.

**He enjoyed the slaughter.**

* * *

**Interesting News around the World  
****Rutos Year 6 + Day 170:  
(Caladrian Calendar March 15th, 891 of the Fifth Era)**

*Kingdom of Iop'Arge declared war upon Kingdom of Galburia as soon as the peace treaty expired. The Galburian king must have expected this (or his council at least) as Iop'Arge's army met fierce opposition all along the western border.

*The Volreek Civil War continues. Hlynovukos managed to sign a peace treaty with the Volreek Empire after the former's army was smashed to bits at the latest battle, dropping their war enthusiasm to zero. However, this gave the Maurya Empire time to gather more troops and expand their occupation territory. Because of this large treks of farmland have been pulled away from Volreek's hands.

*Oddly enough, price of fish rose by 1% across all of Andalusia. Maybe there were less fish to be caught?

*Anferre Coalition declared war on its northeastern neighbor because "yours sons are fucking our daughters, and we don't like it." Literally, that's the statement from three of the nine powers within Anferre.

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Galburian Holy War for Duchy of Revyola! (Ch. 79)  
**


	106. Chapter 106

***I gave the argument about growth vs time too many times too count. It is now your job to look through the chapters to find it.**

***WARNING: This chapter will include an Ankh ritual. Considering what kind of a deity Ankh is, if you are of weak of stomach or mind, avoid Part 3 of this chapter. Additional warnings will be supplied.**

***Chapter Updated on 11/25/16  
*Fixed on 11/28/16  
**

* * *

_**Arc:  
Grinding Labyrinth**_

**Part 1: Decisions  
Part 2: Reunion of the Knight, the Seraph, and the 8th  
Part 3: Ankh Victory Ritual  
Part 4: Exile**

* * *

**Part 1**

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 169:**

The news reached me as soon as it was declared ... from the other side of the continent.

**[Declaration of War from Kingdom of Iop'Arge to Kingdom of Galburia!**

**"For too long have the old and corrupt dynasties worshiping decadents gods have ruled the great lands of Galburia! We, the King and Queen of Iop'Arge, say this: No More! You have sullied the tradition, culture, and the right of all Galburians with your evil ways, oh King of Galburia! This is a declaration from the people of Iop'Arge to you: No More! This is where we take back our people from the corruptors and the decadent nobles! We the rest of the world say this: NO MORE!"**

**Allies of Iop'Arge, Somberas and Tyronia, have declared their joining of Iop'Arge's side in the upcoming conflict.**

**Iop'Arge Holy War to Drive Out Ankh Heathens**  
**War Goal: Take the Capital of Galburia, Holy City of Galankhs**  
**Iop'Arge Troops: 56,100 Infantry, 6,000 Cavalry, 200 B rankers, 91 A rankers, 6 S rankers  
Tyronian Troops: 16,000 Infantry, 40,000 Cavalry, 100 B rankers, 30 A rankers, 3 S rankers**  
**Somberas Troops: 67,000 Infantry, 6,000 Cavalry, 50 B rankers, 84 A rankers, 4 S rankers**  
**Galburia Troops: 103,000 infantry, 24,000 Cavalry, 400 B rankers, 177 A rankers, 23 S rankers**

**Odds of Attacker Victory: 56%]**

Awesome ability, the Gamer was. News traveled extremely fast with it.

But now, I was faced with a decision. I could wait this war out until the very deadline of the Galburian Holy War against my people, I could join Iop'Arge in this war, or declare my own war.

There were pros and cons to each.

1\. Wait it out.

This strategic decision would allow me to build up my forces, fortify my border, and elevate the general level of fighting force of my warriors. This would not stop the occasional raiders from Galburia, but I could always send an "anonymous brigands" to wreck wherever those raiders were based from... which was actually what Iskan was doing right now.

2\. Join Iop'Arge.

This would turn Galburia into a two-front battlefield in which the Kingdom of Galburia was definitely not going to win. Two sides working in conjunction would force Galburia to split their own troops as well, and that would be devastating in terms of how well they could put up a fight. Or they could just run one side down while the other takes over the country.

3\. Declare a separate war.

It was similar to option 2 in that Galburia would have to split its forces into two, but with one advantage and disadvantage. The advantage was that if my kingdom managed to deal big enough of a damage to them, then I could easily sign my own peace treaty without having to worry about upsetting my war partner. The disadvantage was that I would not be able to easily obtain information from Iop'Arge as I would have if I joined their side of the war.

But all of these decisions were only capable of being made if my kingdom was ready for them.

The income was decent -I was no longer running a deficit like I had been a year or so ago.

The manpower was great; the kingdom had 31,000 or so people it could call upon to replace the dead soldiers.

The stability and unrest of the kingdom was less than what I would have liked -the conquered nobles were still whiny, there were still raiders upsetting the west, and there were factions forming within the kingdom.

I growled.

Factions were slowly becoming my least favorite thing about my kingdom.

They weren't anything unnatural. In fact, it would be right to say that in a world of individuals with conflicting interests and desires, factions are natural. After all, that's what kingdoms are in essence; different factions whose priority lies with whoever controls and supporters it.

Doesn't mean I have to like it.

I digress.

The factions in my kingdom are the following: Royals, Merchants, Warriors, Nobles, and Clans.

The Royals are ... well, people who are with me. This includes, Shirou, Candy, Senna, our children, our most loyal retainers, and friends.

The Merchants are the rich merchants seeking profit. Was there anything else to them these days? Of course, this faction also includes the guilds and artisans, and let me say that they are not happy with my current policies that do not protect them.

The Warriors are the three orders. Due to their strength in rankers and numbers, they have become strong enough force to affect politics and policies. Of course, they aren't stupid enough to try and influence me beyond what our mutual goals are, but they do influence the minor seats in the Small Chief Council.

The Nobles are the aristocrats who have substantial land outside of the core Ironwood provinces. These include the hereditary mayors of the lizardmen cities, the racists bigots who surrendered to my terms in both Revyolan and Kanian conquests, and the few nobles that I personally granted the title for their work.

The clans were those like the Scorchscale Clan, the Dhan'Thal Clan, and the like who have gained enough financial and political power to form a political block unto themselves.

What was worse was that each of those factions also all had factions of their own, and trying to manage them all was a futility in and of itself.

Shirou, for example, was a major player within our Royal Faction. He had a huge say in all of the decision I made (should he decide to voice them). But at the same time, his status as Duke of Ironwood Northern Dynland made him a major player within the Noble Faction as well. Then due to his ideals as the "people's hero" and his actions upon those ideals have made him both the Merchants' and the Warriors' member.

In my case, I was a major player of the Warrior, Royal, and the Clans, though I only had complete control over the Royals Faction;the lack of control over the other two factions was due to their being political organizations not anything else -I can't tell people what to believe or think, after all.

I stared at the screen showing me the Iop'Arge declaration against Galburia before closing it.

I'll have to give it a day or two before I tell everyone of this news, but I guess I can tell Shirou, Senna, and Candy about it.

* * *

Senna and Candy were easy enough to find. With Irowa and Ren growing up, the two women were often found close to each other. Gossiping, exchanging tips on raising, and sparring.

Yes, sparring. Candy gets antsy enough not doing anything, so Senna raises autonomous wooden golems for Candy to fight, and the speed at which Candy goes through them gives Senna exercise for her magical reserve.

It was actually what they were doing when I found them as well.

I watched Candy smash through her seventh wooden golem with a magic-powered fist through at the chest. Its chest caved in and back blew apart before it tumbled away.

Senna sighed. "Dearie, if you break the chest open so much, it takes more time to fix it."

Candy blinked at Senna. "I thought that was the idea."

Senna shook her head, and then saw me. "Hey Ruto."

Candy saw me too. She grinned. "Hey honey," she called.

I waved my hand in return. "Training?"

"Yeah," Candy replied. "As much fun I get pinching Rowa's cheeks, I do need to satisfy my own appetite," she replied with a coy smile.

And everyone here knew that she meant her destructive appetite, not her sexual appetite, no matter how she presented it.

And speaking of training, I should check on her stats. It had been a while since I did so.

"[Observe]," I spoke out loud, more so for their understanding of the situation than my own.

**[Candy **

**Race: Phased/Succubus**  
**LvL: 129**

**HP: 331**  
**MP: 170**

**STR: 284**  
**END: 207**  
**AGI: 773**  
**DEX: 592**  
**INT: 196**  
**WIS: 339**  
**CHA: 144 **

**Power: 37**  
**Spirit: 44**  
**Magic: 34**

**Traits:**  
**Attractive, Quick, Lustful, Love/Married(Ruto), Vicious, Strong, Diligent, Zealous, Adept Swordwoman]**

I blinked.

Candy had been training with swords?

"You've been training with swords?" I asked her.

Candy looked abashed for a second before she nodded. "It was my own way of preparing for the war to come, I suppose," she replied.

I smiled, though I didn't say anything.

She smiled back.

"Hem hem."

We looked to Senna with deadpan stare for breaking our little moment there. "Yes?" I asked her.

"Let's move on to why you're here. You rarely visit us when we're together."

I scoffed. "That's because I have no intention of getting caught up in your girl talks, ladies," I replied easily. "I can understand the factionalism, racial tensions, people's adoration of me, and other things like economy and politics, but women gossiping is beyond that. No, beyond any normal man's understanding."

The girls smiled, even Irowa.

"You're exactly right, honey," Candy giggled. "Now, spill."

After a pause, I did.

* * *

Senna was stone-faced when she heard the news. "Good," she smiled cheerfully. "They're finally getting what they deserve."

"Which is?"

"An attack from all sides," she replied. "I assume you will do so, yes?"

After a pregnant pause, I grinned. "So you realized."

She nodded. "There's no reason for us to not go to war, especially when they have so little man and we have allies to call upon."

That had been my line of thought before arriving here to tell them the news, so I was glad to see that Senna thought the same as me. Now, what Candy thought also mattered, but she hadn't said anything.

We both looked to her and she looked contemplative.

Then suddenly she grinned. "I want a company of my own to lead."

I laughed. "Of course you would," I replied. "But only if you promise to not leave them behind because you wanted to jump into the battlefield."

"Deal, honey."

* * *

I went to Shirou as well. After all, if anyone in the Royals can know how the citizens of my kingdom would react, it would be Shirou. And as I expected of the "People's Mentor," I found him in the fields working along them.

"Yo."

Everyone looked up, and almost everyone went back down in a bow.

I waved my hand. "It's alright. I'm just going to be borrowing Shirou here for a bit," I said.

The manager quickly nodded. "O-Of course, Your Majesty!"

I led Shirou away from the hemp fields.

"i'm surprised you came out all the way here," he started off with a smile. "It's hard to see you out among the people lately with the paperwork and your own grinding."

I grunted. "Wanted to ask you a question about what I intend to do, that's all."

He raised an eyebrow, and waited.

"Iop'Arge declared war on Galburia."

His eyes widened. "What does that have to do with us? Aside from Galburia being weaker."

"I intend to strike at them soon. Preferably when Galburia is completely focused on Iop'Arge and its allies," I replied.

There was a pause.

"That's a bold move."

I nodded. "What would our people think?"

Another pause, this one of contemplation. "They will most likely support it. A lot of our citizens are refugees from former slaves of Galburia after all."

"And the rest?"

While it was true that my kingdom had a boom in population after we accepted a lot of Galburian slaves, they were less than 5% of the total population.

"Revyolan and Dynland denizens are used to wars like this. From I learned, wars between nobles back when Galburia ruled their lands was common. It's actually Kanian civilians I am concerned about."

"What about them?"

"Unlike 50% of our population or so, Kanians were part of a different nation. Their duke may have been an idiot, but the people are peaceful. What I've learned about them was that they would prefer diplomacy over war any time, though they won't hesitate to fight back if cornered."

"... So I shouldn't try to raise a lot of levies from Kanian lands?"

He nodded. "Most of the lands there are too disorganized to give you the number of levies worth raising in the first place anyway."

"I see," I said before I smiled. "Definitely the "People's Mentor," eh?"

He flushed. "Go do your own stuff, Ruto," he growled back at me with a push.

I laughed.

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 170: **

I take a quick trip of Carpathi Kingdom and to its capital city of Pset with just a few guards.

As our kodo thundered across the magnificent white stone bridge of Pset, the guards saw me, my flag, and my guards, and were quick to open the gates while hailing me as a royalty. I waved at them, and I was soon greeted by Christopher.

"It's been a while, my friend!" Christopher shouted exuberantly.

I laughed and we hugged each other.

"You seem happy," I greeted cheekily. "Something interesting happen?"

He grinned. "Oh, nothing too unusual. Tiana is pregnant with our third child."

I blinked thrice before grinning. "Congratulations! ...And I just realized you never invited me to your children's birthday."

His grin faltered. "W-Well, I may have been a little busy trying to manage the nobles... Yeah, sorry."

I frowned. "Your nobles are giving you problems?" I asked as we walked towards his castle.

"Yes," he replied curtly with a snarl. "A small group of the more powerful nobles and merchants have banded together to reduce their taxes. I believe they may even be trying to revolt against me."

I narrowed my eyes. "You can always call upon me, old friend."

He laughed. "It's actually because of you that they are keeping quiet."

"Oh?"

Christopher laughed. "Everyone knows how strong you are, Ruto! If they dare to raise their swords at me, I got a SS ranker and more than a handful of S rankers who'll be raining down on them!" he exclaimed loudly.

I glanced about and saw a few nobles.

Ah, I see. Christopher was asserting his defenses.

I nodded to him, though I made my actions bit more exaggerated so the nobles littering Pset's streets could see me do so. "Of course. Oh, on that note. My kingdom now has 10 S rankers."

He looked startled. "R-Really?"

I grinned. "Galburia intended to attack me. I was not going to just sit there, now was I?"

"But to train that many S rankers in such a short time..." he gulped.

Now, I knew he was sincerely scared, not at myself being a threat but by my capabilities.

The Gamer was OP, man.

I laughed. "I could try harder if you'd like," I asked cheekily.

He scoffed. 'if you try any harder, then you'll dominate the entire continent."

Ping!

I blinked.

**[Continent's Strongest Military!**  
**For even one moment, become the continent's strongest military!**

**Requirement: **  
**Option 1: Have the highest army morale (You: 3.0 vs Rank 1: 6.0)**  
**Option 2: Have the highest naval morale (You: 2.0 vs Rank 1: 9.0)**  
**Option 3: Have the most number of S rankers (or higher) (You: 11 vs. Rank 1: 29)**  
**Option 4: Have the strongest navy! (You: 24 galleys vs Rank 1: 559 galleons)**  
**Option 5: Have the strongest army! (You: 7k (17k possible) vs. Rank 1: 130k (155k possible))**

**Reward:  
+10 LvL  
+10% National Morale for 12 months  
+10% Natinal Productivity for 12 months  
Permanent National Modifier: Might of Ironwood (+50% Prestige from Battles)]**

I googled at the quest.

Those were some ... hefty requirements.

And ludicrous rewards.

I pressed yes. It wasn't like I had to stay strongest for a long time; just being the strongest for a moment would suffice the quest ... right?

I turned to Christopher. "Thank you."

He looked confused. "For what?"

I just smiled.

* * *

"So."

We were in a private meeting room within his castle. There were no guards, no partners. Just us. We sat across from each other on a small table, barely 2 meters in length and width.

"Iop'Arge declared war on Galburia."

The slightly wary eyes of Zepolya's locked on me instantly.

"What?"

I nodded. "Exactly as I said, and Tyronia and Somberas is going to be joining in on Iop'Arge's side."

"... It'll be a blood bath."

"And I want in."

"You want to help Iop'Arge?" he asked. "It would make sense-"

"No. I want us three in with a separate war."

His eyes sharpened. "You want to squash them."

I nodded. "For the past three years, they have been raiding my borders time and time again, even if most of the people away from the borders do not see or know it. I've already lost 40 or so C rankers, 10 this past month alone," I growled.

Christopher's eyes widened.

C rankers were quite strong, despite their less than glorious title. They were in essence your average commanding officers, knights, and brawlers who were capable of holding their own against nearly a dozen regular -and trained- soldiers. Losing ten of them was human equivalent of losing 10 decades, as that was how long it took for true races to achieve a C rank.

Of course, I had easier means of bestowing experience and power to my people. Still 10 C rankers hurt, 40 more so. And that's not counting the thousands of levies and militia who died fighting to protect their home.

"And by three... you also mean to include that witch?"

By witch, I knew that he meant the Grand Duchess of Sarang, Minerva Managot.

I nodded.

He scowled.

The two of them had gained a rivalry of sorts. Minerva was the sort of ruler who cared about herself foremost while Christopher always thought of how to make his realm prosperous. This difference in ruling philosophy caught them on the wrong foot, which then escalated to what it was today after Minerva fined a trading company closely tied to Christopher's finances.

Christopher, in return, issued a new tariff for all Sarang-originating goods, and considering that Carpathi Kingdom was a huge market for north-central Tesbalta continent, that was irksome for Minerva.

I hope the rivalry did not involve sexual tension too, because I was not and will not get involved in that.

"I see," he replied. "This is a little troubling."

"How so?"

"You remember that I just finished my own war not too long ago?"

I nodded.

"While my general and troops had done well... I did suffer quite a loss in manpower," he replied. "And I do not have gold nor time for a professional army."

"So you won't be joining?"

"No, no! Not saying I won't be joining, but I'm saying that I won't be able to have large participation in this war."

"That's fine," I smiled. "I just need you to prevent Galburia from using their northern provinces. Prevent any form of supply from leaving the region to help their army."

Christopher leaned back on his chair. He seemed to be either milking me for more (despite the inaction that his troops will have) or he was truly debating whether he could spare his troops for another war so shortly after the previous. Then he smiled. "Carpathi Kingdom will gladly join its ally in war. Especially against slaving raiders of Galburia," he declared and pushed his hand forth for a handshake.

I took it with a cheek hurting grin. "I'm happy to have you with me."

We took our hands apart, but Christopher had one question before we left.

"How do you intend to convince Duchess Managot?" he asked.

I scoffed. "There's going to be a war, people to kill, and money to make. Does she need any other reason?"

She may be my friend, but she was still a bloodthirsty warlord.

He laughed out loud.

* * *

Considering that I was there, I decided to gift Christopher's two children for the birthday gifts they had missed from me. To that end, I took the mithril shards I had found in my dungeons runs and made two thin necklaces out of them.

Christopher was surprised.

I asked him why.

Apparently, it was because I had mithril, how little of it notwithstanding, and because I could forge, the latter of which was rare to be seen among rulers.

I shrugged and told him that I was an oddity.

He agreed with me.

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 175:**

I made my way to Grand Duchy of Sarang, and to its capital, Managotsberg, the seat of the House of the Managot.

A little history there, that city of theirs.

The Managot family used to be Old Caladrian family (as I learned from Juras, Minverva's little brother who is one of my generals), which means they were nobles of the Caladrian Empire. After the Caladrian Civil War that broke the Caladrian Empire apart, Managot family was stranded out in west Galburian lands.

Fortunately, the then head of the Managot Family, Remini yil Managot, was a crafty man. He managed to win the rights to the county of Whimsy, the capital province of the Grand Duchy of Sarang, and also got others to pay the cost to build an entire city in that tumultuous time.

How? Something along the lines of poker and putting his impressive magical lineage to vassalship to whomever won against him. Juras wouldn't elaborate beyond that.

Yes, even as empires fell apart, poker promises were kept to the extreme.

The Managot family managed to become one of the four founding families of Galburia several hundred years back, which also shocked the country when they boldly declared independence in the Galburian Civil War.

As for the city itself, the history doesn't end with the Managot family -now the House of Managot by the time of Galburian founding- doesn't end there.

Ohhhh nooo.

It is currently the only city in the entire "East Galburian Regions" to have been sieged more than three hundred times _without _falling to the besiegers.

Either the defenders are ferocious to a fault or those walls were goddamn magnificient.

After all, magical sieges, while uncommon, did happen, and of the 300+ sieges, a quarter of them were magical sieges.

On that note: magical sieges.

...

I don't know much about them. If I wanted to know, I'd have to learn about them either by book or experience, but due to the rituals, magics, and policies in place in all countries, learning about them is near impossible, only heresays, rumors, and vague documented historical works.

Apparently, magical sieges were either done with a single spell or ritual. The former costs enough mana to kill people while the latter takes hours to prepare and guarantees melting of stone walls.

Which makes the Managotsberg walls impressive to have survived 100+ magical sieges that supposedly melts walls.

... Maybe it's the people?

* * *

Turns out, I didn't even need to enter Managotsberg. I met Minerva half way between our capital cities.

She tried to tackle-hug me, invite me to a spar (which ended up accosting the entire landscape), and agreed to joining the war as long as she got land out of it.

I was fine with that.

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 178:**

The news finally reached our city by conventional methods, and the newly established state-funded printing press (Shirou's idea) was tossing out the headlines.

I could hear the streets crowing with excitement and anticipation. I could see many of the ex-slaves shiver in fear while others were brimming with unreleased energy and rage.

The general mood, though, was that whatever I decided, my people would follow.

I was happy with that.

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 183:**

I stood before the Small Chief Council, the nobles, the commoners, and the rest.

"Many of us here are the product of evil. I cannot deny this," I started my speech. "In fact, I'll go so far as to say that this kingdom rose specifically to guard those who could not guard themselves. This I can assure you as the founding king of this nation.

"Do you know this? My first step into this world was not as a troll but as a weak imp. A cave imp at that. And do you know what I saw? Pig-orcs raiding my home colony and killing everyone within it. The core guard of this kingdom are _survivors _of that raid.

"It was after that raid, a raid that reduced my home colony to ashes, that I stood up and said 'I'll protect my people.' I grew strong, defeating a orc on my own... It was the start of the Ironwood Clan.

"Then there was the pretender war that happened within a year of the clan's founding. I'm sure most of you remember Shkifield, his Galburian noble supporters, and the battles held within this very province. He came, sacked, looted, and raped our friends and family! He dared to burn my people when we had just began!

"I could not see that happening. I was not going to let that happen. I took up arms, and allied with Shkifield's target, who you now know as King of Carpathi Kingdom, Christopher Zepolya. We fought together to destroy an evil.

"Such was the start of our clan... Our kingdom," I said and paused.

"Mere years later... Galburia declared its intent to crush us to the ground. You all know this; their declaration happened a few years ago. They threatened to wipe us out.

"_I was not going to let them_.

"And now, that Galburia, the pracitioner of archaic sacrifices, slavery, and raids, has come under attack.

"This is the perfect chance.

"... And so, on this day, I declare war upon the Kingdom of Galburia and I call upon our allies to rid our world of this evil!"

And war was declared.

**[Quest has been updated!]**

**[Galburian Holy War: This is the Counterattack, Bakayaro!**  
***The idiots of Galburia gave us time to prepare, and now they are in dire straits. This seems like the perfect to fuck them over, yeah!?**

**Requirements:**  
***Occupy at least 20% of Galburian land**  
***Win at least 1 major battle**  
***[From Red War God] Tear down Ankh fucker's temples!**  
***[From Red War God] Personally kill 5,000 enemies, civilian or soldier!**  
***[From Red War God] Kill all Ankh priests. All of them are sadistic perverts in need of some death.**

**Bonus:**  
***Lose none of your S rankers**  
***Force the concession of all neighboring duchies to your territory.**  
***Force Galburia to break up into tiny states, and vassalize at least one of it. **  
***Force Galburia to change their religion. Force, not convert. **  
***[From Red War God] Make a monument to me.]**

* * *

**Part 2**

* * *

Sans and Frisk sat on top of the former's Gaster Blaster, floating slowly towards Ironwood Kingdom a few meters above the treeline.

After the run in with the Galburian raiders, they decided that it was better to avoid them altogether by staying above them, even if they were also taking a route that took them away from the border regions.

You never know what's going to happen, right?

"Sans, let's go down that cave!"

"no."

"Sans, that giant tree looks awesome! Let's explore through it!"

"it looks like there are five rather angry looking tree things there."

"Sans~!" Frisk moaned at her friend's laziness.

The necromancer shrugged. "i'm just saying that none of those places are good for you," he replied easily enough. "... wait a minute-" he whirled on Frisk. "did you fall down to the underground because you wanted to explore caves?!"

Frisk blinked, flushed, and laughed nervously.

Sans facepalmed.

The entire Underground died to a cave explorer?!

"... Hey, what's that?"

Sans looked to where Frisk was pointing-

-just as a blue spear zoomed passed by his left cheek.

The two of them froze.

"SANNNNSSSSS~!"

And from the underneath the treelines, a blue blur tore through the leaves and zoomed past right in front of the Gaster Blaster's nose. The skeletal lizard head screeched to a halt midair to avoid collision-

-only to sink as the blue blur came back down and smashed on top of it.

Sans and Frisk stared in shock and alarm at the blue humanoid.

Who stood up straight.

Sans' eyes widened, and his usual grin widened even further.

"undyne!"

"Gahaha!" the fishwoman laughed boisterously. "I knew from this thing that it was you! No one else in this world would have anything close to this!" Then she saw Frisk. Her eyes narrowed.

Sans saw this too, and immediately pulled a hand out. "undyne-"

"Why are you protecting that _thing_?!"

Frisk flinched. "...ry."

"Huh? Speak up, runt!"

"I'm sorry... for killing you."

Undyne glared at Frisk before sitting down. She kept her glare on Frisk. "Well, you ain't getting no second chance this life, ya hear?"

Sans glared. "oi-"

"So you better not do anything stupid like what ya did in last life, got it?!"

She nodded

"Good."

"You're ... forgiving me?"

"Hell no!" Undyne growled. "But I ain't fighting Sans, because he looks like he wants to!"

"..."

"..."

"So where are you guys going?"

"Ironwood. Supposedly, it's the best place to be around here."

"... Alright. I'm tagging along. I need to keep a eye on this thing here anyway."

"She's a her."

"Whatever."

Frisk smiled a little.

Now, if only Papyrus was here...

* * *

**Part 3**

* * *

**WARNING: Human depravity up ahead. Rape, murder, ritual sacrifice, and insanity**

* * *

Arthas -as he had begun to call himself again with the Frostmourne by his side- stared at the ritual circle before him. It was some thirty meters wide at radius and ... drawn in blood?

Because of his position as one of the leading generals, it was demanded of him to watch the ritual, if not participate, for the sake of the wars to come. He knew very little about this except that his lieutenants and other generals seemed to be ... giddy?

Yes, definitely excited.

And from the looks of naked women and men chained down to the ground at each vital circles within the ritual circle, Arthas knew that he was not going to like this. Especially when those goddamn heathen priests were entering the circle with a white mask on their faces with serrated, wavy, and green-tinged -was that poison?- dagger.

This is becoming more and more ... dark.

Then the archpriest was before them all.

The archpriest was a old man, perhaps in his early sixties. Unlike the naked priests, he was fully garbed in the white, gold, and red of the Ankh formal priestwear.

"Tonight!" the archpriest shouted with a firm voice. "We give praise to Ankh for giving us the opportunity to rejoice in war!"

Arthas flinched as the men and women outside the ritual circle let out a roar of approval.

He did not like where this was going.

"Let our god Ankh hear our praise! Let us give our god what he desires most!"

The priests moved in, and one of them walked over to a tied down woman. He placed the knife down on the side, and spread the woman's leg apart. Then he stuck himself inside with a grunt and raped her there.

The other priests moved in as well. They moved to their chosen "partner" and forced themselves onto them.

Arthas grimaced while the rest of the people around, both men and women, cheered and drank to this ... barbaric ritual.

He caught the eyes of a young girl who was being raped by a fat priest. Her eyes begged for him to rescue him, but he could not; interrupting the ritual here was a heresy, a death sentence.

She jerked and struggled, even as the fat priest let out howls of ecstasy.

Then to Arthas' surprise, the priest who was raping her grabbed the knife even as he thrusted inside her... and just as both of them climaxed, stabbed her in the chest.

The others did the same, staining the ground in red.

The archpriest, who had abstained -or was it by procedure?- abstained from the ritual stood up from the chair he had been sitting on for the rapes. "Now, my children... for our god, Ankh!"

"FOR ANKH!" the rapist priests roared in unison-

-and stabbed themselves in the forehead.

Arthas blinked.

What the fuck did he just see?

The entire ritual circle glowed, and the bodies of the dead disintegrated.

The glow intensified.

And the dust ... flowed to everyone watching the ritual.

It entered even him, and Arthas felt sick as he felt his strength and vitality almost double.

"And the ritual is complete!" the archpriest shouted, looking a decade younger.

* * *

As soon as he was back in his room, Arthas headed over to the bathroom sink and threw up.

He felt _sick_.

He was willing to just go through this burden because it was going to be a one time deal, but no, they had done something sick. His soul, his _light_ refused to do nothing about this dark kingdom.

He looked at the mirror, and saw his eyes.

The old fire in them were back. The very same fire that led him to Northrend.

...

_To War..._

_TO WAR..._

_TO WAR!_

The drums of war beat in his chest, and his sword was turning away from the rest of the world.

* * *

**Part 4**

* * *

Jaune gagged as the noose around his neck tightened, and in front of him, a thousand people watched his execution.

How did it come to this?

Well, after killing his chasers, he couldn't hold back on Grimm's instincts... and indulged himself in eating human flesh. It gave him such a euphoria that he didn't realize he was surrounded by soldiers before one of them knocked him out.

And now, for his crimes, he was to be executed.

But oh no... he was not going out like this.

His eyes darkened, and the Grimm responded to his call. They rose up from the shadows, and a Nevermore shot out from the shade cast by one of the buildings surrounding the execution plaza.

It grabbed him and flew off while the rest of the summoned Grimm fell upon the populace and soldiers.

Jaune used the Nevermore's sharp beak to cut his restraint and toss away the quonx ability restraining handcuffs. Then he teleported on top of the Nevermore.

"Well, crap," he muttered to himself as the Nevermore flew away from the town.

There was no way he was going to be able to stay in Quonx Grand Republic now. Not when he unconsciously set the Grimm upon the populace.

...

Eh, why not make it worse for them? At least delay their attempt to find him.

So he closed his eyes, and created a legion of a hundred thousand Grimm all around the city.

"So Lisa, but I never really loved you," he cackled as the Grimm fell upon the city.

Once he saw that the city was under siege, he pondered.

He had to run now, because not even he was capable of taking on the republic's quonx army. That was a suicide even with ten million Grimm, and he could summon no more than a hundred of that a year -which he just did to keep his possible pursuers from getting him. the grand republic also held a lot of influence to the east of its territory, which only left him the west and south. But the south was rather hostile with its natural -but demonic looking- creatures.

...

West, it was. Far west. As far as he could go where no one ever heard about the grand republic or quonx.

With that plan in mind, he flopped backward, and allowed the Nevermore to take him away.

* * *

**Interesting News around the World  
****Rutos Year 6 + Day 179:  
(Caladrian Calendar March 15th, 891 of the Fifth Era)**

*Ironwood declaration of war was a surprise... not. It was expected.

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Galburian Holy War: This is the Counterattack, Bakayaro! (Ch. 106)  
Continent's Strongest Military (Chapter 106)**


	107. Chapter 107

***Chapter 106 has been updated, so some of the details mentioned here won't make sense until you go and re-read it. If you don't want to, then just know that there have been changes to the Galburian Holy War Quest.**

***Fixed the archpriest's age.**

* * *

**Reviewer Responses:**

**[Q: Other Gamer Narutos?]: **nope. the gamer mechanic that I've devised runs off of 1 character gamer per universe. This means that yes, another character can be a gamer, but it can't be Ruto or Naruto derivations.

**[Q: Point dumping into HP]:** Meat Shield.

**[Q: Horsemen of Apocalypse]:** strictly speaking, the Abyssal Horde are descendant of the Ghost Rider.

**[Q: Evil Jaune]:** As you can see from this story of mine, I ain't exactly ... normal. I don't do normal. I don't think normal. I have dreams of getting shot in the face repeatedly. Every. Other. Month.

**[Q: Naruto = Saitama]:** If he uses skills with a punch, yes.

**[Q: Galburian Idiocy]:** Kejmur got the right idea.

**Not yet, .**

**SEE?! I do answer SOME questions.**

**Just not always.**

**When's the last time I answered questions on a chapter? Holy fuck, 40 chapters ago or something?!**

* * *

***Hey guys. So nopparitari asked a good question regarding classes.**

**As such, this chapter will not have multiple parts: Only Ruto's. The rest of it will be devoted to explanation into classes and available classes.**

* * *

_**Arc:  
Grinding Labyrinth [END]**_

**Part 1: Challenges of Mobilization  
Part 2: Plans of the Wicked  
Part END:LECTURE:Classes**

* * *

**Part 1**

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 190:**

It's been seven days since I declared war. I didn't think I'd be declaring my second war so soon. After all, most of the wars that my kingdom and I've been involved in were either defensive or retaliatory. Technically speaking, this war was to be retaliatory war too, but from the Intrigue that I've amassed in the city and abroad, the general populace didn't see it that way. At least they were supportive of it.

I was concerned still. Galburia had a huge army and the amount of S rankers they had in their army was twice that of mine, even if I had quintuple the amount of A rankers they had. On top of that, they had more than ten times the amount of levies and cavalry, something that was going to give me a strict disadvantage. If Galburia decided to run me down first, I would have no chance at winning the major battle I needed to win the war and complete the quest.

Both Sarang and Carpathi honored my call to war, as they said they would.

I stared at the [War] screen, which showed me how things were going.

The progress was at 0%; 7 days were not enough to take any strategic points or advance my troops into their territory. In fact, my troops weren't even properly gathered yet!

As for the other details on the screen, I stared at the Galburian War Enthusiam. It was lighted in green; it was high.

I didn't quite understand that. Just who did the War Enthusiam reflect of from? Galburian leaders? Generals? Soldiers? The general populace?

A lot of questions, and once more, provided by my Gamer.

"My Lord."

I looked up. One of the administrators from the Administratum had come to my palace. They had been running ragged lately with paperwork and whatnot as well as war preparation, but it was rare for one to directly approach me.

"Come in," I spoke up and gestured for the elf to do so.

He walked up to my desk with the widely known grace that elven-kin were known for in the white and green men's Administratum uniform, which looked a lot like a butler's. Senna's preference, perhaps? He also carried with him some papers and scrolls. They seemed to have originated from different places and not the Administratum, because Administratum used the "printing paper" standard set by Senna and Shirou for ease of use. This also meant that the papers in question were not paperwork for me to sign.

"What is it?" I asked.

The elf jolted a bit before he presented me the papers (letters and scrolls) to me -and they had differing stamps and marks to them- without a word. He laid down out on the desk on the other side from myself. I took one, and opened it.

It was a scroll from one of the Western Mari minor nobles. Aside from that, I knew nothing about them. It wasn't like they did much if they didn't show up on my radar.

"Umm who is this guy supposed to be?" I asked the man who brought it to me.

The assistant administrator pulled out a small notebook and riffled through the ragged pages. He must've used that a lot. He glanced at the house crest stamped on the top of the scroll.

"The scroll is from the House of Raopoliberges. They are a minor nobility from the fall of Duchy of Revyola who kept their title after submitting to your rule quickly. They hold a barony under their name that governs nine villages."

"So ... small?"

"Yes, sir."

I looked through the scroll's content and frowned.

"What the fuck," I muttered as I finished the sentence. " 'Can't send the levies' after giving me bullshit reason?" I turned to the assistant administrator. "Have an auditor check this guy out, preferably unseen by the Rao's."

"Yes, sir."

I opened the next scroll, and it said the same thing.

And the next letter...

And the next...

And ...

...

I stood up slowly before pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Okay," I muttered to myself. "What the fuck?" I growled angrily.

The assistant administrator sensed my anger and quickly fled the room.

"They give me this bullshit reason for not sending me their levies and expect me to just take it?!" I roared.

Ten nobles, from counts to minor barons, had sent me letters and scrolls to "explain" their reasons for being unable to pay their dues of levies.

Bullshit! They think I'll just let them go after they didn't participate in the war efforts? That they'll get away with just taking advantage of my kingdom's generosity for letting them keep their titles, their land, and their wealth?!

I slammed my fist into the lacquered and shined ironwood desk. It snapped instantly like a toothpick, tossing all of the paperwork that was on it flying or sliding to the center, where it snapped.

I took a deep breathe in and let it out.

Then with purpose, I walked out.

* * *

"ISKAN!" I roared as I reached the inner layers of the Highlander Headquarters.

The troll jerked his head up.

He had returned just a week before in time to attend the Small Chief Meeting to see me declare war. Having been at the western border, he had seen the devastation that would have been caused by the Galburians had I not sent him and Juras there, so he was all for taking down Galburians.

"Yes, sir?!" he saluted quickly, obviously sensing the anger in my voice.

"Get me three S rankers and three hundred A rankers."

"You inten-?"

"I have nobles to crack down on!" I growled, cutting him off. "Some of the 'reformed' and 'obedient' nobles in Revyola and Kanian territories are refusing to pay their due, and I just cut taxes for them!" I yelled, though at no one in particular.

Iskan flinched a little at the volume I was using, and I was also surprised I could take in such details even as angry as I was. Perhaps the Gamer had to do with it? It wouldn't be the first time -nor the last- that it affected my mind oddly.

"Are all two hundred A rankers and S rankers necessary? It's doubtful that any one of the nobles that pissed you off are going to have a tenth of that firepower."

I paused. Iskan did raise a good point.

"Good point," I admitted. "One S ranker and ten A rankers will do then."

Iskan nodded and pulled out a clipboard from the pile of paperwork that was his desk. "This is the one... Do you want me to choose the ones who'll be going or should I?"

"Mix in some power types and infiltrators. I want both muscle and information."

"Got it, boss," he acknowledged.

* * *

Unfortunately, Shirou heard about what was going on, and intervened. He declared that if I went, not only would the morale of the army be affected by my absence, but it was more likely that our troops would take losses without the firepower that I was.

I argued in favor of me going to squash the soon-to-be-not-so-noble nobles because Shirou was definitely capable of doing at least half of the stuff I did -in terms of firepower- but then Candy got involved and told me to back out; she was interested in riding with me to battle, not waiting for me at the battlefield.

I must've been pretty angry at the nobles, even though their levies would not have counted over a few hundred at max, because I got into my first ever fight with her about this.

My [Wroth] must've been at big play here.

Eventually, I gave up and delegated the job to punishing the nobles to Shirou, and assigned him five more A rankers and thirty more B rankers as well as a hundred heavy infantry and ninety kodos.

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 191:**

I waved Shirou good luck as he led his contingent out of the gate of Ironwood City.

"Now," I turned around, greeted by a lot of my people who had shown up to greet their Mentor farewell. After a pause, I turned to Candy while the crowd continued to wave for Shirou. "Candy, how is Irowa?"

I've been busy the past week or so, and in my neglect for other things, I hadn't been able to see my daughter.

"She's unhappy, you know."

I flinched.

"She thinks daddy doesn't love her," Candy replied with that faux teary eyes of hers.

"Oi, d-"

"She cried."

I was gone with only a trail of

"DADDY'S COMING, IROWA~!"

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 193:**

I learned from a rather irriate Senna that while my decision to attack may have been a decent one, the lack of gold in our treasury was a factor that I hadn't taken into account wasn't a good decision.

So I spent the entire day grinding in the [Rock Elemental Dungeon].

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 199:**

Today was the day I leave for the battlefield, I realized as I opened my eyes.

I had used one excuse here, other excuses there, and another excuse thrown about, but I had reached the deadline.

I could no longer delay.

"Ruto?"

I looked at Candy.

"Yes?"

She grinned. It was a feral thing.

"We fight?"

I nodded. "We fight."

* * *

With a thousand gathered infantry levies, a hundred cavalry levies, four hundred Highlander Warriors, fifty Blue Cataclysm Mages, and ten healers, we set out to shatter Galburia.

* * *

**Part 2**

* * *

Ankh stared at his most loyal friend.

Though the man looked frail, he was anything but. Having spent years in its service, the Archpriest of Ankh Stalio Byeneuhaus had been gifted over a thousand souls' worth of gifts. Underneath those wrinkles were muscles capable of tearing men with a twitch of his finger. Underneath those saggy eyebrows were a pair of eyes capable of discerning the true nature of any being. Underneath the bald head was a brain capable of calculating far beyond the limits of any mortal man.

It was for these gifts that Stalio Byeneuhaus, a former Holy Paladin of the Path of Light, served Ankh faithfully, and they both knew it.

To them, Galburia was a joint project of two partners, the Face and the Mastermind.

In this vast whiteness that it called its realm, Ankh approached its partner and hugged him. "Welcome home."

The archpriest grunted. "My joints hurt."

Ankh laughed. "You're getting old!"

"I'm a pure human who's nearly eight hundred years old. Give me a break, you evil god," he grunted again.

Such was the relationship between the two. One may be a god and the other human, but neither expected the other to obey them.

Oh no. Especially not when it was Stalio's belief in this dark world that gave birth to Ankh. No child would attack his father, and no father would attack their child. Not a true child and father, anyway.

"So?" Ankh asked as it pulled away.

"... Galburia might fall this time," Stalio replied.

This was not the first that Galburia had faced mortal peril at the hands of heathens. In fact, it was but the latest of many.

Ankh pouted. "This is going to hurt me, isn't it?" it groaned. "How many souls do I have to give up to keep your kingdom alive?"

"Enough to repel the entire armies."

Ankh groaned again, but this time, it groaned even more loudly. "But that's nearly half a million souls! That's a quarter of how many I amassed!"

"You mean we."

"We. Fine," it dismissed with a wave of its hand. "... We're going to have to make our soul kings again, won't we?" it asked giddily.

Stalio showed no concern over Ankh's sudden change in demeanor. "Yes. And we're going to need at least five, which is why we need half a million."

Though the rest of the world may not know it, Ankh and Stalio were very adept in the magic involving souls. They knew the most efficient way to convert souls into energy, and knew that it was the most abundant source of power available in Andalusia. Mana? Ether? Those were dependent on the land, but sentient beings were not. One can find them anywhere!

"Our puppet dynasty is also being really ridiculous as of late," Stalio commented. "They actually think their ancestors built Galburia. Ha!"

Ankh giggled. "Well, you've been telling them that. Of course they'll believe you and your lies. Oh father, you desire too much. You want them to think you are serving them, but when they actually do think that, you're unhappy!"

"We should've just gone for a theocracy."

"And fight a never ending holy war against everyone around us? No thank you. You know we can't reap the souls who die in holy wars."

It was true. Due to Ankh nature as a human-derived god rather than land-derived god, its ability to reap souls from belief came from sacrifices rather than battles; at best, Ankh was capable of reaping five souls out of the thousands that die in battle in contrast to all souls in a sacrificial ritual.

"By the way, how did your soldiers like our latest gift to them?"

"Most were happy."

"...Most?"

"Our field marshal, Dienstardt Anhalt, has shown an extreme displeasure with our rituals."

Ankh sighed. Anhalt was such a delectable being. So powerful in the Path of Light.

Stalio was of the same opinion. Anhalt had actually been one of the three candidates that they had to join their side as partner because of how powerful he was, but alas, it seemed that he would not be so.

"Is he planning anything?"

"Aside from reaffirming that he will never fight again for our puppet, no."

Ankh grunted. "... You intend to get him killed in this war?"

Stali nodded. "For our victory."

Ankh pulled out a cup from nowhere, filled with screaming souls, and grinned. "For our victory."

Then he drank the damned souls, destroying them and empowering himself with the latest sacrifices given to him by his worshipers.

It was good to be a god.

* * *

**Interesting News around the World  
****Rutos Year 6 + Day 210:  
(Caladrian Calendar September 15th, 891 of the Fifth Era)**

*Kingdom of Galburia is in a state of disaster. News of the Ironwood Kingdom's declaration of war along with Carpathi Kingdom and Grand Duchy of Sarang joining it, Galburia is surrounded on all sides by enemies. Outnumbered 3 to 1, it is expected for Galburia to fall rather quickly.

* * *

**Part END:LECTURE:CLASS**

* * *

Classes are the culmination of experience that a being experiences. Whether it be a human, bullywarg, troll, or elf, all beings gain class if they meet the requirements of end culmination.

For the True Races, this culmination begins with their earliest memory. Let us take a human child. He was born to a family of knights, and will most likely hold an affinity towards knighthood. Class Affinity is different elemental affinity in that it is chosen not by one's magic but by familial nurture, soul's power, and direction. The familial nurture here of this human child can be the wisdom and lectures given to him by his family of knights. The direction would be the child's determination, subsequent training, and consistent improvements to become a knight.

Soul's power is the oddity in that it is neither the final nor un-included aspect that determines the child's class. In fact, each being's individual soul act almost independent towards this. It may like, dislike, or be indifferent to its body's decisions and efforts.

However, should a soul decide to cooperate, then this reduces the child's culmination of experience, and vice versa. Thorough research has yet to be done -because no one wants to kill children by the masses to find out how their soul ticks-, it is reasoned that a soul's cooperation -or disturbance- affects how a child accumulate its experience.

This is the reason why peasants across the entire world of Andalusia do not have classes; they are not _born _into a familial nurture that gives them a direction. Most peasant families are morally ambiguous on average; they care more about what they're going to eat for dinner tomorrow then what the future will hold for them a decade later as long as it doesn't involve their opposite gender, food, and war. They have no direction; peasants do what their previous generation did either by choice or force. They are taught that this is how things are, and that's that. Their souls' cooperation matters little if they have no direction and nurture.

It is those who rise up from this cesspool of mediocrity who gain classes, and thus should be respected.

But I digress.

After a decade (the average time for a child to gain a class once their consistent memory gathering begins), the child is given a class. In some countries and religions, a child receiving a class, no matter what age, is accepted as an adult by the society.

Classes also come in a wide variety.

Carpenters, Farmers, Assassins, Berserkers, Archers, and so much more.

For the Monster Races, their culmination of experience is the only thing that matters, but it has a different requirement. Whereas True Races require a consistence memory gathering to be the focal point of their progress in the culmination of memory, for a Monster Race, their focal point for culmination of experience must be authority. This authority can come in many forms: priest, mayor, leading scholar, and etc.

They have to be better than others around them to gather their experience.

Because of this, Monster Races have much more restricted selection of classes, and yet, these classes are extreme specialists.

Known classes from the Roden Kobold Mines in west Volreek Empire are thus: Human Trap Artist, Pig Hunter, Rare Herb Digger, Blood Healer, and etc.

A rodent kobold pig hunter will only have boosted abilities when fighting to capture or kill a pig. Nothing more, nothing less.

Classes also have a progression system.

A orc warrior can become a Greater Warrior and then a Greater Pyro-Warrior, but at the same time, a drakken warrior can become a Seaborn Warrior, then a Viking Warrior, and finally into a Greater Viking Warrior. These following classes are given a numerical designation depending on how advance they are. A Greater Viking Warrior is CL:LVL:4 while the Greater Pyro-Warrior is CL:LVL:3.

Each advancement in class level, or "step" as some people have come to call it, results in a doubling of the power boosts, though not always the output itself.

A being may gain more than one class.

The current Archmage-King of Volreek is one such example. At three hundred years old, the half-elfling king has four classes: Grand Arcane Mage, Greater Philosopher King, Checkmate Strategist, and True Practical Researcher, CL:LVL 4, 3, 3, and 3 respectively.

There are cases, though, where a base class "evolves" to become another base class. This event is called "Base Class Duplication." The odd thing about such phenomenon is that the previous class's skills, techniques, and effects are additive to the evolved class; while no more skills and techniques may be gained in relation to the previous class, the affinities remain.

A very common -even if rare- Base Class Duplication is the conversion of a Knight to Noble.

* * *

**Guys, I want you to all take this into account.**

**Ruto only has CL:LvL:1 for all of his classes.**

**And he never . ever. fought a CL:LvL:2 people before.**

***SPOILER* Arthas is considered a CL:LvL:3,2,2 for Greater Lich King, Steward Paladin, and Commoner's Noble**

\\(º.º)/

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Galburian Holy War: This is the Counterattack, Bakayaro! (Ch. 106)  
Continent's Strongest Military (Chapter 106)**


	108. Chapter 108

***It's sad to read that some of you do not find my story enjoyable, but they do get f****ew things right. This story doesn't have a singular plot or overarching goal; it just is. It may be tedious and it may be boring at times, but life can't all be fun, and i don't intend to skip years within this story. **

**Cuz that'll be like hacking in infinite rare candies in Pokemon. That's not fun. Goal-oriented, sure. Fun, not really.**

* * *

_**Arc:  
Ironwood Counterattack**_

**Part 1: First Skirmish  
Part 2: Complications  
**

* * *

**Part 1**

* * *

Shirou grunted as the last of the Warrabelli Family was stripped of their Contract Emblem. It was an extremely minor Contract Emblem, only influencing an area of perhaps ninety acres or so. It didn't even qualify as a Barony Contract Emblem, but Ruto had let this family keep it.

And now Shirou had confiscated it because they had failed their duty and responsibility.

"Give it back, you fucking oni!"

Shirou looked over his shoulder. The head of the Warrabelli Family, an aging old man by the name of Alexander, struggled against the strength of two Highlander A rank warriors.

"Give it back, you heathen!"

He sighed as he turned around to face him. "You fool," he hissed. "You placed your stake with the enemy over that?"

"I will be rewarded when my god takes me!" Alexander shouted fervently. "We will smite all non-humans to extinction!"

Shirou frowned. "... I suppose this is where I carry out this job," he muttered to himself. Then he spoke up out loud for all to hear. "In place of His Majesty, King Ruto of Ironwood Kingdom, I hereby declare the Warrabelli Family defunct; they are no longer a noble family of Ironwood Kingdom, and to acknowledge them as such despite the king's order is to oppose the king. I hereby declare the arrest of all Warrabelli Family and enforce freezing of all of their assets on ground of being alleged worshipers of Ankh. Should this be proven false, then all assets will be returned to the Warrabelli Family and they will all be released with a monetary compensation to each individual based on their preivous year's income."

Throughout all this, Alexander spat out curses upon the kingdom, the king, and all non-humans.

"However, if the accusation proves true, then the head of the Warrabelli Family will be executed as it is written in the law, and the rest of the family will be exiled. Their assets will be taken by the kingdom and redistributed as how the king sees fit. Take him away," Shirou finished.

One of the warriors came up with a bundle... and a bloodied axe.

"What is it?" Shirou asked.

"A wee lil' babe, sir," the warrior replied as he gently turned the bundle and his body angle to show Shirou the contents of the bundle. It was a baby that couldn't have been more than two months old.

"And its mother?"

"Dead, along with the father," the warrior grimaced. "They stabbed Rick in the back. He's in critical condition."

Shirou sighed. "Take him to the orphanage at Ironwood City," he replied. "The patron will know what to do."

"Yes, sir."

Shirou looked over the manor of the Warrabelli Family, which was now being cleared out by his warriors. Besides the most recent arrests and punishments, their failure to act upon their duty has resulted in their properties being confiscated -not just the Contract Emblem.

The Contract Emblem would go to the royal treasury while the properties would be either given to soldiers who had done a good job -and thus on a list of people needing to be rewarded- or sold off to the common people.

This entire affair, however, was the latest of three visits. They had all been minor nobles, and Shirou feared the reaction of the counts that he had to go face.

"Sir, we got a small army heading our way!"

Shirou whipped his head around towards where the voice had shouted from. The Highlander who had shouted had been sitting on the tallest point in the area, which was the Warrabelli Manor's rooftop, and he was pointing to the east. Shirou narrowed his eyes, and allowed his mana to reinforce them.

...

He could see.

They were all cavalrymen flying the flag of Count Borovilli, one of the nobles that Shirou had to visit.

"It seems like he came to us," Shirou said to himself.

His eyes counted at least five hundred cavalry, and the way their lances were pointed at Shirou's contingent as well as the fact that they actually seemed to be speeding up spoke volumes about what they were here to do.

"Archers!" Shirou shouted. "Target to the east! 1,000 meter range in twenty seconds!"

The archers of the Highlanders quickly formed up lines in front of Shirou and the kodos. The first row knelt, second row stood right behind the first, and the last row stood a good three meters behind the second row.

"Your target is the incoming cavalry of Count Borovilli, whose army is pointing their weapon at us despite the fact that we are flying the flag of the Ironwood Kingdom!" he shouted. "Take them all out!"

The horses thundered down the plains, trampling the grass and the wheat.

"Magicians, I need a wall between us and the approaching cavalry! Make it a dozen meters in front of the archers!"

And then they were in range.

"FIRE!"

All hundred fifty archers launched their arrows.

Against five hundred cavalrymen armored to the teeth, it had little impact.

But it did slow them somewhat as the cavalry swerved to avoid letting their horses be pelted with arrows. In that time, the sixteen magicians Shirou had brought along with him raised their spiked walls.

Shirou projected his own black bow, and fired arrows. They were mundane Bomb Arrows -but then was anything mundane about Bomb Arrows?- and the explosion riddled... the air?

Shirou peered into the ranks of the now circling cavalry, and found three magicians among them, casting [Anti-Projectile Field]. This also explained why the arrows his archers fired had very little effect; they were all debuffed.

Still, it was four hundred B and A rankers fighting against five hundred cavalry.

Statistically, all cavalrymen/women were rankers as well in these parts; the old nobility of Galburia had a law that stated the following: only those of class or nobility may be cavalrymen. It was unlikely that five hundred nobles were here to fight, so it was sufficed to say that most of these cavalrymen were rankers.

Shirou took a guess at their rank being B- on average.

"Trace on," he muttered under his breath.

A single red spear crystallized into form within his hand.

"Archers be ready!"

* * *

Count Borovilli had always been a fervent follower of the Ankh. He made weekly sacrifices to his powerful god, and the priests of Ankh often blessed him and his family for their devotion.

It helped that before the Galburian Civil War, he and his family all received the Follower's Mark of Ankh, signifying their importance to Ankh.

And now, this heathen dare declare upon the holy kingdom of Galburia.

He had been fine worshiping his god in secret; all good things come to those who await.

He had been fine tax to the troll overlord; it was feudal contract, after all.

He had been _bloody fine _with the overwhelming number of demi-humans entering his territory; laws change with their overlord.

But war with the holy kingdom?

_No._

No no no.

Nonononononononono.

_That was crossing the line._

So he refused to pay taxes. He refused to send the troll his men. He refused to fight for that heathen troll! He encouraged a few others to do the same, and now, he heard that they were being robbed of their rightful lands and authority.

He would not stand for this.

He raised his army, his famous Borovilli Cavalry, and rode forth to lay waste to the heathen thieves.

"ONWARD!" he roared, raising his longsword high into the air. The cavalry charged, drawing their spears forward to strike their enemies, and roared alongside him. "FOR GALBURIA!"

"FOR GALBURIA!"

Five hundred horses thundered across the plains in their rescue of a fellow follower of Ankh.

"Archers ahead!" the front cavalrymen shouted.

"Don't worry," a sweet voice whispered from behind Count Borovilli. It was the voice of Ankh's angels. The count felt his heart squeeze in delight and relief. "Ankh protects his follower."

Divine protection rose up as a pale gold dome around his entire army.

Borovilli laughed in glee.

_Yes! His god came to protect him! He was being praised!_

His face twisted into a snarl.

_He would not fail his god!_

The ground disagreed. Rocks shot up, cutting his cavalrymen's direct line of attack with the heathens.

He hissed in frustration, steering his horse away from the rocky outcrop. "Circle them!"

As his cavalrymen encircled the heathen demi-humans, he felt the angel behind him freeze.

* * *

"GAE -!" Shirou hissed, aiming at the source of the spell keeping the enemy shielded from his arrows. "-BOLG!"

The magician tried to flee -by flying of all things-, but Gae Bolg chased after all at a speed too fast for the magician to outrun. The jagged path twisted forth from Shirou's hand, and struck the magician through her chest, piercing her heart... and circling back around to pierce her head?

The magician froze in place where she was struck, and then went limp. Then her entire body burst into light and faded away.

Everyone froze to watch the scene unfold.

Gae Bolg snapped back into its dormant form in Shirou's hand when he snapped his wrist back.

Shirou noted briefly that Borovilli's men were shocked.

Taking attention off of the enemy in the middle of the battle? Their loss.

"Archers, fire!"

* * *

Borovilli gawked at the scene before him.

The angel of Ankh .. had been killed so easily?!

"Archers, fire!"

His head snapped back.

Too late.

His last sight before the eternal darkness was that of a single arrowhead.

* * *

Not all of the cavarlymen died. The moment his men fired, Borovilli's cavalry converged on them.

Shirou thrust Gae Bolg again -without activating it- and parried a spear from piercing his head.

Another horseman tried to strike at him with his own thrusting spear, but Shirou -still in motion of the parry- easily ducked under the strike, and pushed the first spear into the path of the second horse.

The first spear pierced through the second horse's chest, and the impact threw both riders off.

Shirou jumped from his spot with projected Kanshou and Byakuya, and sliced all three hundred sixty degrees in a graceful and flowing twirl of his body that sent his deadly blades spinning like a circular saw.

He dropped back down, landing on top of Gae Bolg. He threw the dual sabers out, flipped backward, grabbed the spear mid-flip, and came back to a defensive spear-stance.

Then he aggressively stabbed forward at a gawking cavalrymen, who had just seen the entire thing from start to finish, including the part where the thrown sabers sliced into his comrades left and right of him.

But he had been more skilled then others, and even in his shocked state, he drew his longsword.

And shouted, "[Automatic Parry]!"

The horseman's hands and arms blurred, and Gae Bolg was parried.

Shirou raised both of his eyebrows.

The horseman, shocked with his own parry, quickly backed his horse up. Then he threw his own spear like a javelin. It flew across the small distance between them, and Shirou slung Gae Bolg to the left, reflecting the thrown spear.

Only to see the horse charging in.

His own training kicked in, and Shirou jumped up, feet facing the horse's chest. And when his feet struck the horse, he pulled Gae Bolg in a wide arc from the previous reflecting blow in an attempt to strike the horseman from his right.

The horseman saw this coming, and just jumped off to his right. He rolled on the ground after landing.

And Shirou jumped after him from the horse with a reinforced boost.

"I surrender!" the horseman shouted as he threw his hands up.

And that promptly threw him off. Shirou landed and rolled on the ground as well before stopping not too far off from the horseman.

Shirou quickly got back up. Even if this horseman surrendered, the battle was still not over.

And the defection must have angered some of them, because Shirou saw a horseman charge at him and the new prisoner.

"Get down!" he shouted as he projected a bow and a quiver of arrows.

The man did so, and Shirou quickly fired off ten shots, all of which pierced the charging horse and the horseman's chest. They tumbled mid-charge and threw up dust and blood into the air.

Shirou felt his body continue with his , and fired off arrows at whomever was engaging with his warriors.

The projected quiver of arrows ran out, and Shirou was forced to project more. In the mean time -which lasted a few seconds-, he glared at the capitulated horseman.

"Stay here."

The horseman nodded quickly.

* * *

The battle came to an end mere ten minutes later as the survivors capitulated and the dead lay on the bloody grass.

He did a quick count, and found that over three hundred of the Borovilli -including the count himself- had died in this skirmish and a hundred of his own men had died. His initial guess had been correct in that both the rank and the quality of his troops were higher than that of Borovilli, but the previous shield cast by the magician he killed -which he now knew was not a magician but a semi-divine construct of Ankh- and the charge afterwards had done a lot of damage.

"Sir."

He looked up. After the battle, he had taken a small reprieve away from the battlefield so that he wouldn't have to smell all of the blood in the air.

The owner of the voice was Arlan of the Highlander Warriors -he was one of the elites that Ruto had personally assigned to him for this mission.

"The troops are ready to move on, sir."

"... Then set the march to Ironwood City. We'll recover and head back out again."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

**Part 2**

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 213:**

"I assume the count is dead?" I asked the messenger.

So apparently, while I had been busy marching my army to the west to fight Galburia, Shirou was busy taking care of Galburian-sympathizers-turned-rebels-who-died-before they-could-really-do-anything. The messenger in front of me had come to report when my army had set up camp for the night, which also meant that our sleep time was being killed.

The messenger nodded. "Yes, Your Highness. It seems that he was killed early in the engagement."

"Alright," I said as I waved my hand in a dismissal. "You may leave."

He bowed and left.

I turned to the generals. "... Concerns?"

Iskan and Juras looked at each other before shrugging. "Nope."

Candy didn't care. She also happened to have slept through that entire report.

Senna was not here; she was at the Ironwood City.

"Candy. Wake up please," I said as I shook her shoulder.

"It's night. I'm sleeping," she grunted back and smacked my hand away.

"At least go sleep in the cot."

Candy grumbled as she got off and sluggishly left the tent.

I turned to my other generals.

"Our campaign just got harder, but I think we'll be okay," I said.

Iskan raised an eyebrow, but didn't say much.

Juras didn't seem to agree with me. "You have a possible rebellion in your heartland ... and you think we'll be okay?" he asked incredulously.

I shook my head. "I trust that Shirou could quell any rebellion that could rise up."

"Could? Not would?"

"There are only nine or so nobles rich or powerful enough to raise an army strong enough to threaten Shirou's contingent. But I'm more concerned about the fact that until we can be sure that our own nobles are calm, Shirou and his contingent will have to stay in our territory."

Juras frowned. "Yeah. That'll weaken our frontline."

I grimaced because I agreed with Juras's assessment.

Shirou had with him a quarter of the entire Highlander Warriors.

That was a fifth of our overall military might tied to the lands to put down would-be rebels. I estimate it to be a fifth because a B ranker could be taken down by 50 or so well trained heavy infantry and archers. Not easily, of course, but the 50 definitely had the advantage.

But most of my warriors were B and A rankers, which meant that their impact in the field was even greater per person compared to trained infantry.

I frowned.

I'm going to have to change not only the battle tactic but the overall strategy to include the missing manpower.

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 214:**

"So what do you all think about this?"

This, of course, referred to our shortage of military might due to the unrest of rebellious nobles back at home.

The generals and commanders sitting around the strategy table all understood this, and many of them looked irritated.

I did too.

The commander from the Scorchscale clan raised his hand. I nodded to him.

He stood up and bowed slightly. "I do not believe I have introduced myself yet. I am Anilukoku Bruusi of the Scorchscale Clan, the commander of the levies offered to our liege king."

"Welcome to the army, Commander Bruusi," I greeted him with a smile.

He bowed slightly deeper this time. "Thank you, your majesty. But I stood up to talk about this issue at hand. Is it possible that we can avoid battles in full?"

I scoffed. "If Galburia decides to all-in against their enemies to the west, then sure, but it's unlikely. If not the king, then the local nobles will not take kindly to our army passing through."

"Then would it not be in our best interest to kill off all of the Galburian nobles in our path?"

I grimaced at the thought. "I would like to avoid that, if possible. We're not here to slaughter them; I just want Galburia crushed to the point that they won't be ever able to attack us or even think about raiding us."

"But your majesty, this would make our occupation much easier! It is the nobles who hold on to the slaves, wealth, and power. If we kill them off, then we can snatch all of those for our cause."

Juras sneered. "So you want us to slaughter innocent men and women just because they were born into their position? I may have been a mercenary at one point, but even I wouldn't think of doing that."

The Scorchscale commander glared at Juras. "Are you dishonoring me by calling me a thug lower than a mercenary...?" he hissed.

"You sure suggested we act like one."

"Bloody liz-!"

"Enough," I barked.

Everyone paused before sitting back down.

"Commander Bruusi, while I feel that your suggestion goes against our code of conduct and honor, we are at war and thus it is a valid option. I shall keep it in mind, but nevertheless, I hope I do not have to order such a thing. It is distasteful to murder innocents."

The drakken looked chastised, and bowed in his seat.

"At the same time," I continued. "Nobles are members of the military due to their position, so we will not be committing murder of innocents if they surrender. I think we should offer them a chance to surrender."

"And if they don't, your majesty? What shall we do to their lands and citizens?" one of the human commanders asked.

I paused for a moment.

Ping!

**[Cruel trait activated!]**

Uh oh.

"Kill their armies, burn their castles, and loot everything. Of course, all of you will be allowed to take whatever it is you want to keep," my mouth spoke without command from me and I could feel my lips twist into a cruel smirk.

**[Cruel trait deactivated. Orders made under game mechanic may not be rescinded]**

Shit. Bloody, diseased-cock-sucking sons of-!

I quickly made to make the situation better. "But no raping, enslaving, or killing random civilians. That's what we're trying to prevent them from doing it to us, and I don't think my demand for such will hold legitimacy in the negotiation table if we do exactly that. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Then we march again," I said as I tossed a small pebble at the target at the center of the strategy table. "Our first target: fortress city of Agansberg."

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 220:**

We reached Agansberg almost a week after we set out for it.

It was a small fortress city with less than ten thousand people that lived in and around it, and quarter of that population was the local garrison and the noble's personal levy.

Riddle's spies reported to me that Agansberg was strong in its defense because of the rankers it trained.

Yes, trained like how I do, not hired like the rest of the world.

The noble family of Agans, who built the fortress city, were famous for their ability to quickly train anyone from a young age to a B ranker within two years, which was tenth of the time required compared to the normal progress. Sure, I was even faster than that, but this was insane!

"So you're telling me ...?" I asked the spy.

"Of the two thousand or so levies the baroness pays, trains, and wields as a standing army, half of them are B rankers and a handful of them are A rankers. There are no known magic users."

I whistled.

That ... that was impressive.

Maybe I should try to get them to join my sid-

"She's also known to be a rather fervent worshiper of Ankh and ... she's known to raid the borders quite frequently."

Okay, fuck that, she's getting beheaded today!

"And the composition of the rankers?"

"... snipers, your majesty."

I blinked. "Pardon."

"Baroness Agansberg specifically trains her troops to be snipers, a second class in the archer class family. Her archers may not fire a lot like regular archers, but they can fit anything a kilometer away from their current position if they are on the same level."

I slowly let that sink in.

Then I paled.

"Wait, are you saying-?"

The Agansberg (city) was built on a hill overlooking a vast plain where there was nothing to hide behind.

"Yes, your majesty," the spy replied with a grimace. "A thousand arrows that can pierce through armor will rain down on whatever enemy that gets in their range."

... That...

That was fucking insane, and I understood almost immediately what Agansberg(baroness) did.

Her troop size was small and so was her territory. Her city was placed perfectly for defense, but her small territory didn't give her enough income to support a good sized army to play up to that defense. I'm guessing that those two thousand she had were all she could afford.

But that also had me curious.

Agansberg was a small fortress city. It was also not a trade hub for the local regions. It was surrounded by farmland like most cities.

So.

How was she supporting two thousand rankers?

I know this personally, but rankers are _ridiculously _expansive to upkeep. They break weapons regularly in training alone, and they also eat a lot. If it wasn't for the Trombo Worms my city farmed, then most of the expanses would be used to upkeep the rankers throughout all four orders. Her ranker population was just about half of mine.

So.

Where was her income coming from?

I looked over the city from where my army had set up camp.

Farmland. Farmland surrounded the city.

"What do they grow in these farmlands?" I asked the spy. "I know those are flowers, but I doubt the kingdom needs _that _many flowers."

The still-kneeling human paused before he spoke up. "They are poppy flowers, your majesty. They're used to make opium, sir."

* * *

**Interesting News around the World  
****Rutos Year 6 + Day 220:  
(Caladrian Calendar September 15th, 891 of the Fifth Era)**

*War is afoot across the entire Tasbalta continent. With the eruption of war between Taurica and Vengiakka Kingdom from a minor border skirmish has officially put the entire continent "at war" with each other from the southernmost to northernmost.

*The Maurya Rebellion is holding well against the onslaught of the fully operating Volreek imperial military. They lost the occupation along the western coast of Nagrillis Bay, but managed to take more inland territory in compensation. This has, however, reduced their capability to expand further into Volreek territory as without a major holding on the western coast of the bay results in very risky landing operations for amphibious attacks and lack of resupply points for their navy.

(In the next upcoming map, Galburia will be red, Ironwood and its vassals green, ironwood's allies blue, and territories occupied by Iop'Arge alliance will be light beige)

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Galburian Holy War: This is the Counterattack, Bakayaro! (Ch. 106)  
Continent's Strongest Military (Chapter 106)**


	109. Chapter 109

_**Arc:  
Ironwood Counterattack**_

**Part 1: Fall of Agansberg  
Part 2: The Ex-Assassin's New Life  
Part 3: Finally in Ironwood**

* * *

**Part 1**

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 220 (continued):**

"... Opium?" I asked with a frown. I didn't quite know what that was. What is some sort of food? I doubted that, though, since the messenger in front of me seemed grave about it. I could ask the man, but then I would look stupid. Would I look stupid, though, for not knowing? Maybe. "What is opium?" I asked in the end.

The messenger looked shocked for a moment before he stuttered out an answer.

"I-It's a narcotic, your majesty."

My frown deepened. Narcotic was another word I had not heard about.

"What is a narcotic?"

"S-Surely, you jest, your majesty!"

I sighed. "No, I am not. I've never been close to these narcotics before. Is it something dangerous?"

The messenger quickly nodded. "They give you a moment of euphoria, but you can become addicted to it. Your body and mind deteriorates, and because of your addiction, you will happily take more of them even when you are completely aware of your situation."

"They sound foul," I commented.

"They are, sir," he replied. "I've known good men and women who fell to its use."

"Does my country ban them?"

"Sir?"

"Narcotics."

"I do not know, sir."

"I see," I muttered to myself. "It's something I'll have to look into quickly." I turned away from the spy and called one of the guards outside." Simon!"

The said guard came through. "Yes, sir?"

"Bring one of the kodo messengers to me. I have a message to be delivered to Ironwood City."

"Yes, sir."

I turned back to the spy, and nodded. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, good man."

He bowed. "Of course, your majesty."

"Setting this opium aside, tell me more about what you have found..."

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 221:**

"I have a solution to this. Well, two," I said as I looked over my commanders again. We had gathered once more in the command tent to discuss our options. "One," I said as I brought up a figure of an infantry. "Some of our people are capable of flying up great heights, like our few winged drakkens, no?"

The Scorchscale commander nodded. "Yes, sir! Jahal and Mughos are our flyers."

I then projected something that had a quarter of my mana. An analog to my Bomb Arrow, but packed with even greater mana.

The few magic-sensors in the room drew in a quick breath. They knew that if the projected weapon in my hand went off, they were going to die instantly.

"We can have them drop this from the top of the castle. Since their sniper's range is about 1 kilometer, they can go higher than that and drop these, no?"

Many commanders nodded.

"But would they be able to aim?" Juras asked. "That is a high place to aim something from."

I nodded. "But it's safe and it will prevent any one of our soldiers from meaninglessly dying from their arrows."

"What is the second option, your majesty?"

I grinned. "We just do something more accurate; we get Shirou to do it for us."

"Sir Shirou can fly?" someone asked, and he was struck by the head. "Ow!"

"Of course, Sir Shirou can fly!"

I facepalmed.

"No, no, no!" I grunted. "Shirou can make a weapon that can detonate at higher degrees that this," I tossed the ball up, and those magic-sensers freaked out when I caught it. I scoffed and dissipated it. "And he can shoot his arrows from here. No need for anyone to fly up and miss."

They seemed to agree with that.

"But of course," I grumbled. "Shirou is needed to lead the rebel suppression force back home, so we'll have to go with the bomb droppers."

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 222:**

**[You have gained a new skill!]**

**[Lesser Mana Bomb (LvL 1)**  
**More reliable than your average cup of joe**  
**Cost: Min. 1 ~ Max. skillLvL*500**  
**Effect: Automatically converts to Greater Mana Bomb at skill LvL 50**  
**Effect: ****LMB lifespan: (mana*0.5) hours**  
**Effect: ****LMB damage: (mana*2) Fire Damage in (mana*0.333) meter radius**  
**Effect: ****LMB damage: (mana*5) Kinetic Damage on landing site (1 meter radius)**  
**Effect: ****Radius gains +1 meter per skillLvL]**

It was a more specialized form of projection, and it was good for what I needed. So I made a bunch of them until I had no more mana, and handed them over to the flyers.

...

Truth be told, it was a boring experience for the first true obstacle in this war. Yeah, we came and were about to siege the place, but there was no ... battle.

Just carpet bombing.

Ping!

**[Due to your idea and WIS points coinciding, you have gained a new skill!]**

**[Carpet Bombing (LvL 1)**  
**Oh, there are so many targets... why not bomb them all!?**  
**Effect: Only affects actions that bombs a wide area**  
**Effect: +10% (+0.05% per skillLvL) Accuracy**  
**Effect: +5% (+0.05% per skillLvL) blast radius of bombs**  
**Effect: +(1% per skillLvL) (bombDmgType) Damage  
Effect: Activated by vocal command]**

"...Oh hell yeah."

* * *

"Uhh, are you sure about this, your majesty?" one of the flyers, a five hundred year old mercenary drakken, asked.

"Yup," I grinned. "Since you are the squadron leader of the flyers, I'm giving the order directly to you."

"If that is your wish, your majesty."

"It is," I grinned. "I order you to [Carpet Bomb] Agansberg."

I stood there as if nothing had changed, but I knew better. As soon as I had given the order with the skill name, I saw (through [Observe]) the damage output of the Lesser Mana Bombs and the blast radius of the explosion increase.

... And that was bloody great.

I watched as the flyers take off, each with a net filled with my LMB's.

Well... and that was it. As soon as my flyers were flying directly over Agansberg, they were going to drop their bombs, hopefully take out a lot of the defenders and the defensive structure of the fort itself, and hopefully, my army can rush in to take over whatever was left of the fort without a bit problem.

Once the fort is taken over, I think the army will have to continue on. Occupation will be unattainable, but I don't want to use any scorch earth tactic on the people here. Of course, the poppy field is going away as soon as I can do it.

... Probably as soon as I can bring Agansberg down.

BOOM!

I looked up, and then paled.

All of the bombs being dropped from the sky were being shot out of it.

There were more than a hundred bombs!

"Guess there goes that plan to hurry on ahead," I grumbled. "Fine then!" I growled as I turned to the commanders and the generals. "We're going to go about this hard way. Bring out the siege weapons!"

* * *

Remember the hwacha? The carts that shoot rocket arrows by the hundreds per cart?

Yeah, I replaced all of their normal arrows with Bomb Arrows.

As the troops moved the siege weapons into position, I turned to the rest of the troops.

Of the near four thousand troops I had, only two thousand were going to be participating in this siege.

One, this was to minimize casualty caused by the Agansberg snipers' sharp arrows.

Two, those two thousand or so troops were some of my tougher fighters, and each of them were given a magically reinforced haystack to absorb the arrows.

"Sir," one of the engineers ran up to me and saluted. "We're ready, sir."

I nodded. "Good," I growled as I turned my attention to the fort. Then I remembered to tell the troops my policy. Can't have them go on a slaughterfest, after all.

I turned back to the the troops. "Troops!" They straightened their back and gave me their attention. "Remember that the goal of this war is not to cause destruction for the sake of destruction like the Galburians are so fond of! This is a war of liberation! This is a war to rid ourselves an evil to the west! That means you are not going to looting or killing anything or anyone who doesn't fight! You will not harm the civilians and their property unless they give you a reason. Is that understood?!"

"Yes, your majesty!" they roared back. Some of them looked decidedly unhappy at my command, but who the fuck cared about a little group? I'm the bloody king, and I say no fucking around!

"Good!" I turned back to the fort. "Then we march!"

* * *

Baroness Agans was very angry.

They were trampling over her poppy field!

"Light those bastards on fire!" she shrieked.

The snipers flinched at her vocal screech, but hurriedly moved to comply. A levy took up a torch, and ran across the battlement, lighting all arrows on fire.

And her snipers fired.

* * *

I saw the flaming arrows descend upon my hay covered soldiers.

I whipped around to them. "[Waterball]!" I shouted and fired as much as I can into the hays.

As the water splashed on the hay just as the arrows landed, the flames were put out, and fires didn't start in the wet hay.

I let out a sigh of relief... before one of the sniper's arrows struck the back of my head.

* * *

"Yes!" the baroness shouted as she saw the leading troll, who was clearly the leader of this army -or at least the commander-, go down after one of her snipers hit the troll.

* * *

**-100 Physical Damage!**  
**Critical Strike! (x1.6)**

"OWWWW!" I roared as I shot back up.

That FUCKING hurt!

* * *

The tremor that shook the land came from the troll, and the baroness paled.

That was a shout?

It shook the bloody land!

* * *

I glared at the fort and the snipers on top of its battlement. I knew the place where the arrow struck was going to bruise.

With an angry grunt, I pulled out Fleshreaver.

"CHARGE!" I roared at the top of my lungs and burst forth.

I charged ahead with a charging [Mountain Killer] ending skill chain combo.

The snipers tried to take me down, but I blurred away from their sight too fast. Several of them tried to predict where I was if the arrows landing in front of me when I was running at nearly 70 kilometers per hour. In fact, all of them were now focused on me.

I scoffed as I grabbed a nearly crossbow bolt thick arrow, spun around, and slung it right back at them.

The sniper who shot me that bolt ducked just in time.

I stopped right at the bottom of the wall and jumped.

The snipers rose back to shoot me again.

But then I was upon them.

All of the snipers and the baroness -concluded from the dress- stared at me, horrified.

I grinned back.

"[Mountain Killer]!" I roared as I struck the battlement with my fist.

It happened almost instantly.

From where my fist had contacted the age old battlement, the entire section of the fort wall wavered like the waves of the ocean before a striking meteorite. Ripples of destruction swung out. Bricks flew up ... and rock spires sprouted from all over the wall even as it came down. Some of it pierced the snipers, but most missed.

But the wall?

It came down. Hard.

My army roared in triumphant as they reached the wall.

The lucky snipers who had remained on the untouched -relatively- walls gawked. The baroness among them also gawked.

I landed on my feet on top of the rubble of the wall section I had brought down, and gave them the middle finger.

So focused had they been in trying to kill me with their arrows that they forgot about the army behind me.

Oh, I was much more dangerous than the army, but no man wins a war alone.

And now, they had an entire army to fight against instead of just me.

"Checkmate, bitch," I growled as I spun Fleshreaver.

Faster and faster.

The troops inside and outside watched me as the Fleshreaver became a literal wheel of deathly blade.

Then I jumped forward.

* * *

**Part 2**

* * *

Henrietta grinned as she looked at the downed nobles and their knights.

She supposed she enjoyed this job more than she ought to; she was conscripted by punishment, so she should've been unhappy about her position.

Fortunately, she took to her new job as a squad leader in Lord Shirou's suppression forces well. Due to her punishment still in effect, she received half the pay that the rest of the warriors and warrioresses received, but she had her old mercenary group with her.

Scarlet was happy as Henrietta, if not more. She found a steady job as a support witch for the squad and her young sister was in the city as happy as a city girl could be.

Asterio was happy because she could smash and break. She was just that kind of a girl.

And their current job was assisting Lord Shirou in putting down a bunch of revolting nobles, nobles who were ill-equip to rebel in the first place.

She scoffed as she looked at the knights. What were they thinking? Did they honestly think that a kingdom the size of Ironwood wouldn't have a professionally trained or at least similarly trained and equipped army that could easily fight against any small rebellions? These nobles barely had a thousand men.

Hell, if these nobles all rose at once after communicating to revolt properly like they should've, then at least, it would've been some trouble for Ironwood. But nooooo~. In their moment of arrogance, they thought they were stronger than the "monster races" that dominated the kingdom.

How stupid.

...

"Henrietta~!"

She looked up, and found the busty Scarlet smashing into her face.

"... Gwe yoh ohhw eets ooay om aye eece."

"Huh?"

Henrietta pushed Scarlet away. "Get your cow tits away from my face!"

"Hey!"

"What did you call me for anyway? Aside from showing off your bloody tits to your underdeveloped friend?" she hissed.

"Oh, Lord Shirou called for you."

"Alright," she replied as she stood up from the noble she had personally taken down earlier that day.

The battle that took earlier that day was a stupid ambush initiated by the nobles. Their target was obviously Lord Shirou with the number of knights they had concentrated against him, but when the ambusher was one-third the size of the ambushed, and its target was more than capable of fighting them off, it didn't do well.

The noble she had killed -and sat on- was one of the more stupid ones. When offered the chance to surrender, he refused and tried to kill her.

A bloody noble who was barely a C rank tried to stab a A rank mercenary who had years of experience in the battlefields.

She saw to it that he was deprived of his head.

She entered the circle of guards surround Lord Shirou, and frowned.

Lord Shirou had a few cuts across his arms and face, but they were all scratches at best.

"You called for me, My Lord?" she asked with a salute.

He looked up and nodded. "I heard that you took down the leader of this ambush."

"Yes, sir," she reported. "He tried to take out Squads 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 with only a dozen knights, allowing us to outnumber them four to one."

"Continue."

"Due to our force's better training and speed, we managed to down half of them before I offered the noble the chance to surrender. He didn't respond favorably."

"I assume he's dead?"

"Yes, sir."

He nodded. "Dismissed. See to it that the other squads in your company, and send for the other company commanders."

"Yes, sir."

Did she mention that she had been promoted to company commander? Probably not.

* * *

**Part 3**

* * *

Frisk frowned.

It was high noon, and they had run across a village. A village of intolerant men and women who insulted her and her friends the moment they were spotted.

So she led her friend away, and they continued their journey towards Ironwood City. But as they grew closer to the Ironwood-Sarang border, they came across more villages and cities, and it became harder for them to constantly ride Sans' dragon-skulls.

Apparently, as it had been pointed out to them by a rather friendly guardsman in one of the cities they passed by, it was against the Grand Duchy of Sarang's aviation laws to use magic-related flying vehicles without court-certified license which one could only obtain from one of the five major cities.

And since the trio didn't want to deviate from their path, they were once more reduced to walking on land as a means of travel.

...

Okay, Sans may have sped their travel by letting them all ride the giant dragon skulls anyway when they were far away from towns.

But soon, they were upon the border.

The border itself was a small outpost built by Grand Duchess Sarang to make it clear where the border lay. The guards at the outpost just stared at them, and watched them enter Ironwood territory.

Yup. Just like that, the trio was in the Ironwood Kingdom.

...

Now what?

* * *

**Interesting News around the World  
****Rutos Year 6 + Day 220:  
(Caladrian Calendar September 15th, 891 of the Fifth Era)**

*The fort city of Agansberg fell to the Ironwood forces. This has opened up the entirety of eastern Galburian front to the Ironwood and Sarang forces -who have been making their way up. On the other hand, the Somberas, Iop'arge, and Tyronia alliance have occupied huge swaths of land to the west and south. North have been taken by the Carpathians without much resistance.

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Galburian Holy War: This is the Counterattack, Bakayaro! (Ch. 106)  
Continent's Strongest Military (Chapter 106)**


	110. Chapter 110

_**Arc:  
Ironwood Counterattack**_

**Part 1: The Battle of Angansberg  
Part 2: Half meets the Group  
Part 3: Freedom Fighters be Commissioned**

* * *

**Part 1**

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 222 (continued):**

**(Previously at Agansberg, Ruto and his army had broken through the sniper range by unintentionally allowing Ruto to be the bait/wall breaker that drew in all sniper fire. Ruto's HP, endurance, and speed held out against the snipers, and with a [Mountain Killer] ending chain combo, he brought down one of the walls. Now, his army and he faces against the defenders of Agansberg in a melee)**

I jumped high into the air and threw my spinning Fleshreaver with all the strength I could muster midair.

The blade swerved forth like a boomerang, and carved into the defenders.

My troops let out a roar and charged in.

The Agansberg snipers shot at me. I scoffed as their arrows bounced off of my skin, barely dealing fifty damage per.

I landed back down, and caught Fleshreaver just as it came back around. Then I was charging along with my soldiers and warriors.

My first personal kill of the day was a sniperess who had been too close to the front.

I grabbed her by the head and threw her.

From the way her body and head seemed to move in separate directions as she struck her allies with her body, it was safe to say I snapped her neck.

I swung my Fleshreaver forth, and the blade struck a soldier who had foolishly tried to block my attack.

Dumb fuck. Who tries to block a slab of steel as thick as their own arm and as long as their own height?

The sword he used to block snapped underneath the weight of my Fleshreaver, and his skull caved in along with his helmet as my Fleshreaver gnawed through flesh, bone, and metal alike. I pushed the broadsword down just a bit more, and the man was bisected. The two halves fell without dramatic slowness, and I grinned as the corpse of that soldier decayed under the effects of my Fleshreaver (1).

"Spare none who doesn't surrender!" I roared excitedly.

The defenders shrieked in agony as my soldiers and warriors swarmed over them with steel, fire, and magic.

I laughed as I bisected another defender. I raised my Fleshreaver above my head to kill another defender, but he dropped his bow and dropped to the ground with his hands raised up.

"I surrender! Please don't kill me!" he shrieked like a little girl.

I grumbled before grabbing one of the Highlanders close to me by the scruff. "Oi, get this prisoner out of here," I ordered, pointing to the sniper who had surrendered.

The warrior nodded, and dragged the sniper away.

Seeing their fellow spared, the other defenders began to quickly capitulate.

"Well, there goes my fun," I muttered to myself. I looked around, and saw more prisoners being taken. Hopefully, I'll be able add those snipers to my active rooster by giving them a good reason to join me.

As for the baroness...

"Where's the queen of this fort?" I asked one of the prisoners, who quivered at the sight of myself.

"S-S-S-S-"

"You have three seconds to give me an answer."

"S-She fled to the inner fort, s-s-s-sir!"

I scoffed. "Of course, she would. What the hell did I expect from one of the 'nobles' of Galburia?" I replied to no one in particular. I turned to the siege engineers who had just reached the wall that I had crumbled. "Good, you lot are here! Did you bring the hwacha(2)?" I asked them.

"Yes, sir," the lead engineer among them (I assumed) answered.

"Good. Start firing at the inner fort while I crush another wall. We don't want any of their snipers to kill our troops while I go about, now do we?"

"No, sir!"

"Then get to it!"

The soldiers threw open the gates, and the kodo-pulled hwachas came rolling in. Thankfully, the fort had been made to cater to people as well -which ended up neglecting more security and siege related foundations- allowing for my hwachas to set up properly.

Without even looking -though I heard through my [Listening]-, I blocked a underhanded strike from behind and smashed the attacker's face in with a [Fast Strike]. The attacker was dead even before he realized that I had blocked his attack.

I looked around the moss-covered cobblestone streets and grinned. "Ah, don't forget to escort the civilians out of the fort, got it?" I ordered to the warriors and soldiers around me.

Then the hwachas fired.

* * *

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!"

"I'M YOUR EMPLOYER!"

"WE'RE NOT DYING FOR A FEW COPPERS!"

This conversation was one carried between the head of the snipers and the baroness herself. Why? Because the baroness kept on ordering the snipers to fire back, but with the near infinite number of arrows being pumped at them by weird siege engines -everyone was just thankful the invaders were not employing catapults- it was impossible to look over the battlement without getting explosive headshot by a siege machine of all things.

"GET DOWN!" someone shouted.

Another barrage of explosive arrows flew over them, and struck the citadel of the fort, gouging out chunks of the stone and magic reinforced walls.

"I don't fucking get it!" one of the snipers shouted as pebbles and rocks rained down on him from the explosion.

"WHAT?!"

"IT MAKES NO SENSE!" he shouted to his buddy, who was huddled next to him. "THIS WHOLE ARMY DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!"

"Talk later!" the other sniper shouted before he stood up, only to be pulled back down by the first sniper. It was a lucky pull too, or the second sniper would've been struck by one of the explosives arrows.

"This siege uses too much magic, but they don't have even a single dedicated magic brigade!"

The other sniper looked at the first before realizing.

"Explosive arrows that only magicians are known to use are being poured down on us but it shouldn't be possible."

The first sniper nodded vigorously even as more ash, dirt, and stone fell from the sky. "Multi class S rankers."

"Bloody fuckin- SHIT!" the second sniper roared as the position behind him exploded, and flung him forward and above the first sniper.

"Charles!"

Then the first sniper's position exploded.

* * *

I picked at my ear. 'Did a pebble get in there or something?' I thought to myself as I scratched the randomly itchy ear. "Did you guys open up any good hole yet?" I asked the engineers manning the hwacha closest to me.

"No sir! The walls are expertly reinforced with multiple layers of magic reinforcements and anti-siege charms!" he replied even as his own hwacha sprouted away another set of fifty Bomb Arrows made by the hwacha unit's BA magician.

I nodded once before turning my attention back to the citadel at hand.

Unlike the outer wall which crumbled to my skill chain in one go, the walls of the citadel was much tougher than that. Those anti-siege charms negated my skill chain attacks by increasing its defenses proportionally with the force it was being attacked with, especially if it was anything but kinetic, which mine was elemental.

Fun fact, it seems that [Mountain Killer] was a earth elemental spell, and that was exactly what anti-siege charms were made against, according to some of the magicians who had studied related subjects.

I hadn't known that until today.

Bloody hell, do I have to study?

I scratched the back of my head. It was true that I had been less than ... diligent in studying my enemies, including their defenses -which I should've done if I was going to be one spearheading into their territory!

I was glad that the hwacha units were dealing with that, though.

Speaking of hwacha units...

They were the specialized siege units that I had commissioned at the beginning of my reign -back when Ironwood was still a clan not a kingdom. It wasn't until today that they had the chance or the readiness to be seen in battle. Each unit was made up of one kodo (to pull the kwacha cart) and five people. Of the five, one of the target painter(or Observer), two were the arrow loaders and primers, and the last two were the arrow makers, or Bomb Arrow magician, and all of these people had to be trained in magic.

Loading the arrows, for example, was not a job of a manual laborer. It needed someone to attach flying charms to the arrows, attach "target follow charm," and to physically -and carefully- load them, which required a magician. The BA magicians were the ones who made the Bomb Arrows used in hwachas. Lastly, the target painter needed to guide the arrows to their using magic.

See? All magicians. This was the reason why the hwacha siege units had taken so long to prepare, even if the kingdom as a whole only had ten units total.

But seeing five of those ten laying waste to the citadel in front of me told me that the effort put into creating them was well worth it.

"How much more until you run dry?" I asked this unit's hwacha BA magicians.

"Maybe a hundred or so, sir!" one of them replied.

"Together?"

"Individually, sir!"

"So four more rounds, huh?"

"Yes, sir!"

I turned to the observer. "Fire those last five at the bottom there -yeah, right there. We need a whole to storm the place now, don't we?" The observer saluted silently, and I nodded in return. I turned to the message flag waver behind me. "Signal the other hwacha units to continue to pour down on their battlements, but after their fourth wave, tell them to retreat and hide from the snipers' fire."

The flag waver saluted. "Yes, sir!" Then he quickly got on top of a kodo and waved his flags away.

Then the hwachas fired, and the lower section of the wall they had aimed caved in slightly.

I raised an eyebrow. I held a hand up to the watch observer, who ordered the unit to halt. "I think I got this. Fire at the battlements, yeah?" I said, and then I quickly made my way up to the wall, confident in my hwacha unit to cover for me.

While my [Mountain Killer] was a earth spell, my class attacks and spells were not.

[Rapid Fire][Double Strike][Crushing Blow]!

To the warriors and soldiers behind me, it must be like watching twenty simultaneous strikes. The wall's imprint of my fists certainly thought so, but it didn't break yet.

I grinned, and let loose another round of that skill chain combo.

The wall caved in, and bricks flew inward.

"The one to catch me that baroness alive and unharmed gets fifty gold!"

All soldiers and warriors who had been waiting to fight roared in glee as they charged in.

* * *

It took less than an hour for the siege to end, and by the end of the second hour, Agansberg was proudly waving my flags.

I was back in the camp with most of the soldiers, and before me knelt Baroness Agansberg and her sniper captain, the two highest figures of authority of Agansberg. I sat before them while they were forced to kneel on the ground. Unlike them, I also had a fanner keeping a huge fan over my head to keep the blazing summer sun from tanning my skull away. Even so, it was still hot.

"I suppose I didn't give you much time to surrender," I admitted. "But we were at war. Did you expect me to give you a chance to surrender?" I scoffed.

She tried to spit at me, and the spittle fell a foot short of hitting my feet.

I scoffed. "Really? The classical 'I-spit-in-your-face'?" I mocked with a loopy grin. "Normally, I would have let this go, and I do intend to let this go. Unfortunately for you, there are several ... accusations laid against you. Things like selling addictive drugs, turning regular citizens into slaves using those said drugs, and whatnot."

"I don't have to explain myself to a filthy beast l-"

One of the guards walked up, bowed to me, and smashed her fist into the baroness' face. The baroness struck the hard, dirt floor and bounced once, and groaned from whatever pain she felt.

"Look, I don't care about your opinion," I told her. "What I care is two things right now: moving on from this place after torching all of those flowers and making sure you get your share of justice."

And she was going to get justice. The files and transaction journals that my soldiers have been able to loot from the citadel of Agansberg confirmed to me that while Agansberg may not be a place of commerce, but it was the center of life-threatening drug distribution. I couldn't let that stand, not when there was a huge possibility that this land was going to come under my rule once this war was over.

"Take her out to the executioner. There's no point in listing her crimes to her," I told the guards. "And make sure her head gets staked on the entrance of this fort with the list of her crimes plainly written under it."

"Yes, sir!" the guards saluted and dragged the screaming bitch out.

I stared at the sniper captain, who had been silent throughout the entire ordeal, for a second before looking back to the reports of the battle, which was floating before me.

**[Battle Report of Battle of Agansberg**  
**Your participants: 2,691**  
**Ally Participants: 0**  
**Enemy Participants: 3,448**

**Your casualties: 49**  
**Enemy casualties: 1,903**

**Prestige gained: 300x0.1(foot soldiers killed) + 100x3(enemy commanders killed) + 1,600x30(C rankers killed) + 500x1(enemy position captured) = 48,830**

**Infamy: 1,000 (Baroness executed guiltlessly under land laws) = 1,000**

**Enemy Casualties x10 Yours: +5,000 EXP**  
**Enemy Casualties x20 Yours: +25,000 EXP**  
**Persons of Importance Captured: +1,000 EXP per titled prisoner (2)**  
**Persons of Non-Importance Captured: +50 EXP per prisoner (1545)**

**Total LvL Gained: 0]**

I dismissed the report, thinking that it was too bad that some of my soldiers did die. I would have to make sure their family gets the fallen soldier's compensation.

"You've been silent," I stated the obvious without looking at him. "Even when your liege was being dragged out."

"She nearly got my grandson killed and called the action 'collateral damage,'" he replied. "Only reason I was serving her so far was because my family would've been put under those same drugs if I had left her service."

"Guess that's another crime they'll have to write down... if they have room on that plank."

The sniper chuckled before he grimaced. "What happens to us now?" he asked.

I gave him a glance before I stared off into the distance again.

"I have a thousand and half prisoners, which is about the same as half of my own troops. I have no food to give to them nor do I have the luxury of sending them back; the chance of such a large group of prisoners revolting is too significant."

"Then...?" he seemed hopeful.

"I could ... you know, just ... burn them all."

His eyes widened in horror.

Of course, I had no intention of doing that. I may have a [Cruel] tendency, but that was just beyond being simply cruel. At the same time, it didn't leave my mind. After all, the majority of those prisoners -about half of them, in fact- were the C ranked snipers the baroness had raised from the ground up. That was the kind of firepower that simply could not be ignored. If I really did want them gone from the hands of my enemy with a 100% guarantee, burning and killing the prisoner was exactly what I should be doing.

But again, I'm a little cruel, not heartless.

The cruel bit here was suggesting that I was very tempted to burn them all.

"Of course, that would cause a severe loss of morale if I went and did something like that, but I can't really let you go as well..." Then I snapped my fingers. "Ah! How about you join my kingdom?!"

He stared at me as if I was crazy.

"Hear me out," I said as I pointed to myself. "I only started this war because sooner or later, your kingdom was going to declare war on me. Despite the fact that we are at war, I deliberately went out of my way to ensure that the smallfolk won't get speared -both by steel and flesh- by my troops. Hell, if my scouts are right, most of you hate that Ankh your nobles are so willing to sacrifice you lot for!"

The sniper captain nodded slowly.

"So what's to stop you from joining me and ensuring both that I spare you lot here and I extend my umbrella of protection over you?" I grinned.

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 240:**

It was surprisingly easy. No more elaboration was needed before the sniper captain offered his city and its people's loyalty to me.

Of course, as a sign of their initial loyalty, I suggested to him that he should "spare" a thousand of his spared snipers to me.

What the hell were they going to do anyway? Be a burden to their families now that their paycheck provider was gone? He agreed with me on that front, provided that the snipers were going to be properly fed and paid.

The balls on that man. He saw me crush men and women in the battlefields with a tap of my fists and he still tried to negotiate with me.

Great man.

Too bad the very few Ankh sympathizers inside Agansberg torched his home the day after we announced the new working relationship between Agansberg and Ironwood Kingdom.

Oh, I burned those assholes in return. They want to kill people in the name of their god? Fine, I'll burn them too!

To my surprise, the majority of the people who lived in Agansberg were these religious people by the name of Christians. Yes, the very same Christians who had a few of their churches and monasteries spread throughout my kingdom.

Nice people, they are. They even helped me find the rest of the Ankh/Galburia sympathizers -though I was also sure that they did so out of their own survival instinct.

With Agansberg secured and an additional thousand troops added to my army, we marched on.

Two weeks since then, we were close to our next target.

"Your Highness."

I suppressed a groan at the title. Even now, I was not used to them. I looked over my shoulder, and saw one of the warrior-scouts.

"What did you find?"

"An army of five thousand has camped on the other side of the mountain, my liege."

I held my hand up abruptly, causing the marching drums to seize.

"What?"

"They flew the banner of Lord Anatolius vez Toranduo, a Galburian duke."

"How the fuck did they get so close to us...?!" I hissed to the scout, who flinched.

"It seems that whichever scout got close to them were caught and killed by their magicians, who were also obscuring the area around them with ignorance charm, sir..!"

I narrowed my eyes. "Ignorance charm?"

One of the magicians walked up and bowed. "Your Highness, it was a charm employed by us magicians to prevent people from seeing an area."

I groaned.

Great, so I now had an enemy army on the other side of the mountain, which was _less than three kilometers in diameter_. They were too fucking close.

"What kind of movements have they made?" I asked the scout.

"None, sir."

I blinked. "None?"

He nodded. "Yes, sir. It seems that they haven't seen us yet."

I grinned as I realized exactly what that meant.

We found them but they haven't found us. It was a perfect night ambush scenario.

* * *

**Part 2**

* * *

On their way to Ironwood City, Frisk, Undyne, and Sans came across a lizardman.

The situation was odd in that the man in question was standing in a pool of blood with entrails of those he killed draping him and the carcasses of the dead enlarging the blood pool ever larger.

Hell, it was fresh.

In fact, it was so fresh, there was not even a single fly nearby.

Sans raised his hands up to deal with the killer.

The killer threw his sword away and spoke a strange language, but the way he moved his hands in front of him in a placating manner seemed genuine.

"Uhh... we don't understand you," Frisk replied to the hissing utterings of the lizard person before him.

There was a pause.

"You speak Eastern Common?"

Frisk nodded happily before she frowned. "Why did you kill these people?"

The lizard person scoffed. "They tried to kill me. This is what they got," he replied earnestly. Then he scratched the back of his head. "Though ... I may have been excessive with my fighting..."

Undyne scoffed. "And only an idiot throws his own sword away."

The lizard man looked around and muttered 'oops' before he bent over to pick his sword back up from the pool of blood. "Great. Now, I need to find a river to wash."

Sans giggled. "Well, I'm sure those guys weren't quite sure about how well you were going to hole them up," he grinned. "Did you greet them with 'knife to meet you?'"

Frisk smacked the back of the necromancer's head. "Shut up, Sans. No more pun for the day."

"But Frisk~"

"You already used up your two puns for the day."

"But they were _punny_!"

Smack.

"So where are you lot heading?" the lizard man asked.

"To Ironwood City," Frisk replied.

The lizard man grinned. "That's great! mind if I tag along with you guys?"

The trio looked at each other, saw no objection, and nodded to him.

"Great. Name's Rar'th, a half-drakken and half-lizardman gladiator," he said as he attempted to shake their hands, before all three of them pointed to the bloody state they were in. "Ah right."

"I'm Frisk. Just a regular human."

"Sans. A necromancer."

"Undyne. I'm the strongest of these three. I'm a warrior and a pure mana mage."

Frisk looked at Undyne in a new light. Two different classes? Her mom told her such people were rare.

Rar'th whistled. He too acknowledged talent when he saw it. "I think we'll get along really well."

* * *

**Part 3**

* * *

Adriel of the House of Burlingame was a man of short stature. At a head shorter than the average man, he wasn't exactly the most physically appealing man... even if his body was rippling with muscles and his face was adorned with a majestic french mustache. He was both the head of his noble house and the duke of the Monmouth Dukedom, the breadbasket of the Kingdom of Galburia.

And as the breadbasket of a kingdom hellbent on human sacrifice and conquest, his duchy had been the site of many battles, even before his duchy had been formed some seventy seven years ago.

Adriel was sick and tired of watching his people die. He was sick and tired of watching the orphanages overflow with children. He was sick and tired of seeing single mothers who knew nothing of their children's fathers.

He had _enough_.

It was because of this that led to meetings like this.

"So you wished to meet me?"

Adriel the Pious, as he was called by the commoners and his peers, nodded. "I have a need for people like you, Sir Breeden," he replied.

The person before him was Sir Marthus Breeden. A wanted man in Kingdom of Galburia for his anti-slavery guerrilla operations with his infamous "Blades of the Free." He was a man of conviction, of fame, and ... he was also an undead. Usually, this would've been a cause for calling up all priests, paladins, and clerics in his duchy to cleanse this being, but Adriel didn't have the luxury of turning away a possible asset. Especially not when he had been the one to call this undead knight to him.

So here they sat in his estate's smaller private meeting room with a single candle between the two of them on a ornate table engraved in decorative glyphs.

"And what might that be?"

"You see, I am the duke of Monmouth Dukedom. Surely, you knew this before you met with me?"

The undead knight before him nodded. "I may have looked up."

"Then you know that my duchy has always been a battleground for Galburia and her surrounding enemies. It's where they come to burn the fields, loot the grain of my people, and rape our women."

Sir Breeden didn't reply.

"I intend to break free from that tyrannical regime."

The undead knight still didn't reply.

"You have nothing to say to this?"

The knight tilted his head to the side. "I see no connection between your duchy's bid for freedom and my campaigns."

"You didn't think about why I might have sent for you?"

"Perhaps."

"... You are not a man of much words, are you?"

Breeden shrugged.

"... Then let me explain the bloody detail to you, since you intend on being rude by keeping your mouth closed," Adriel grumbled. "As a follower of God through his angel Itos, I am a man of Christian faith. And as such, I abhor the practices of slavery and human sacrifice. I see no reason to lay my allegiance with the heretical kings and peers of this kingdom. I want your help in commanding my troops against the Galburians."

"You do not consider yourself Galburian?"

Adriel growled. "I am as much Galburian as the new Ironwood people are! Galburia takes our bread and never pays back! Our women are taken every single war to serve in their goddamn pleasure camps!" he banged his fist on the table. "I don't care how much money I have to pay, so fight for me and the slaves we will free together!"

"...You're laying it a bit thick."

Adriel let the steam out with a sigh of frustration. "I am desperate. Desperate enough to ask an undead knight when I myself am part of the Christian faith that avoids your kind."

Sir Breeden tilted his head a bit. "...How about a trade?"

"Speak."

"In exchange for my Blades' loyalty to your cause in your war for independence, you will grant the benign undeads the right to live in your duchy."

"You want a lot from me."

"Or do you want to pay me on par with other mercenary companies?"

Adriel let out laugh. "I know that the Blades of Free number less than a hundred. What makes you think that you deserve the same pay as a mercenary company numbering thousands?"

"Most of our numbers are low B rankers."

Adriel drew in a sharp breath and leaned back at the same time. "... So that's how you've been fighting back so easily against the Galburian patrols. They were outmatched without the proper numbers to back you up."

"Correct."

"But even so... to allow undeads to reside-?"

He paused as the holy voice whispered into his ear.

The knight looked confused at the lack of a completed question or response.

Adriel's eyes widened. "Your will be done," he whispered as he dipped his head. Then he looked back up after a moment and nodded. "Very well. Your Blades' service for the entire duration of the war in exchange for the an amendment to allow benign undeads to live in my duchy."

"Then we have a deal."

* * *

**Interesting News around the World  
****Rutos Year 6 + Day 260:  
(Caladrian Calendar November 15th, 891 of the Fifth Era)**

*Monmouth Dukedom, the breadbasket of Kingdom of Galburia, has risen up in revolt against the ruling dynasty. They seek independence from the ever warring kingdom that has only ever stripped them of their food and women. With a force of thirteen thousand infantry and cavalry, Monmouth Dukedom, led by Adriel the Pious of the House of Burlingame, has entered the Galburian Coalition War and the Ironwood-Galburia Holy War. Monmouth has also declared Itos Christianity as its state religion with Jizya, an extra tax system on infidels.

*Blades of the Free, an infamous anti-slavery guerrilla, has been sighted fighting alongside Monmouth Army.

*Ironwood-Carpathi-Sarang alliance has managed to take over a tenth of the Galburian territory, some of which included the vital industrial regions responsible for weapons production. In response, Galburia has sent three armies, each numbering seven thousands, to take those regions back.

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Galburian Holy War: This is the Counterattack, Bakayaro! (Ch. 106)  
Continent's Strongest Military (Chapter 106)**

* * *

**Reference ():**

**1\. Fleshreaver's stats are on Chapter 100. [Death of Eldritch Tree] status effect can be found on Chapter 92.  
2\. Hwacha: Korean siege engine designed to fire nearly fifty arrows at once using rockets. Basically, the first mass used multiple mini-rocket aided projectile launcher in history, but not the first ever made. That title goes to the *drums* the Chinese. **


	111. Chapter 111

_**Arc:  
Ironwood Counterattack**_

**Part 1: More Dumb Nobles**

* * *

**Part 1**

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 241:  
**

"They still haven't noticed us..."

I snorted. Of course they haven't.

By this point, though, I've come to expect such stupidity from these so called nobles. Aside from a few like the late baroness of Agansberg, the leadership of the Galburian hierarchy was littered to the brim with incompetent slavers. I was ... bored.

As much as I knew in my heart what the purpose of this war was, I couldn't be more bored and disappointed. Where was the thrill that I experienced fighting against Shkifield? Where was the satisfaction of conquering the lizardmen city-states? Where was the glory that I found in routing the orcish raiders?!

Nowhere.

"Alright, bring the archers up here. We'll finish them off."

* * *

It was too easy.

**[Slaughter of Mount Shonia**  
**Your participants: 1,093**  
**Enemy participants: 5,787**  
**Ally participants: 0**

**Your casualties: 0**  
**Enemy casualties: 5,110**

**Prestige gain: Summarized: 153,011**

**Infamy: Summarized: 3,500**

**EXP gain: Summarized: 0.21 LvL]**

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 242:**

I stared down at the map in front of me by myself in the command tent.

I had the army rest for a day. We had been force marching for some time, so I thought the army deserved a little break. Also, we needed to strip that dead army -one that we killed yesterday way too easily with only arrows (those magicians were the first to go)- so that not only my army would gain some supplies, but also prevent other Galburian armies from finding themselves supplies.

Oh, and leave the heads of the dead commanders and nobles on stakes to serve as warning.

We did end up catching few of the squires and lesser nobles who were with the army for the sake of interrogation, and the information earned was ... significant, so to say.

It seemed that beyond a few nobles like the late Agansberg baroness, most of the landed nobles relied heavily on few magicians loyal to them and levies they pulled up from their commoners. In essence, it was ill-trained and ill-equipped army that served solely as cannon fodder. Speaking of cannon fodder, the true number killers for the normal Galburian levy army -as I was told- was the cavalry and the magicians.

Of course, magicians were killed early on by my newly acquired snipers, and the cavalry were rendered useless by the stupendous volume of arrows fired upon them.

I could see the merit in organizing an army in such a fashion -especially since that's how everyone else did it-, but it proved to be too weak against my own army.

However, it did get me worried.

The sheer size of the Galburian armies meant that if they _ever _got close to us with even half the number of S rankers, then my army will suffer heavy losses from sheer number of bodies thrown at them.

Troubling, but not unsolvable. I'll have to stick my army near defensible positions and forts, and strike quickly before retreating just as fast before the enemy can get reorganized... 'What am I thinking,' I thought to myself. 'That's exactly what my army is good at. No need to think more about it.'

"Sir."

I came out of my thoughts and looked down.

It was one of the human warriors. "What is it, soldier?" I asked.

"We got a messenger from a Duke Monmouth, Your Majesty. The messenger says he wants to personally deliver his duke's letter to you and receive an answer as soon as possible."

I raised an eyebrow. "Did he demand it?"

"No, Your Majesty. He was ... surprisingly polite for a Galburian noble."

"They sent us a noble as messenger? I thought it was below Galburian standards and customs to do so," I scoffed. "Do you know anything about the Duke of Monmouth?" I asked the warrior.

The human shook his head. "Not much, Your Majesty. Just that they suffered a lot every time Galburia gets involved in war," he replied.

"...Alright. Send the messenger in."

"Is that wise, Your Majesty?"

I looked at him for a second before barking out a laugh. "Don't worry. I'm tougher than most of you put together."

The warrior grinned back. "Of course, sir. No one in the entire kingdom doubts that."

I waved my hand in dismissal. He bowed and left the tent.

A minute later, he was back with the messenger.

The messenger was a noble, alright. The clean hair, meticulously clean armor, and etiquett said as much to me as his body posture and deference. He was a noble, but he wasn't a stupid one like the count I just killed yesterday. He didn't sneer or scowl at me.

"You are...?"

So he didn't know who I was. Did he ask for the chief commander of the army or something?

"King Ruto the First of the Ironwood Kingdom."

The messenger stiffened before he knelt. "It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty," he greeted humbly.

...

Okay, what the fuck? This is totally different from what I know about Galburian nobles.

"You ... are different," I replied. "You don't have to bow to me. Stand up."

He did so reluctantly.

"... Well? Speak."

The messenger looked troubled. "M-My lord duke had not anticipated that Your Majesty would be leading the battle at the front. I was told that the letter was worded from an equal to another... I am worried that its content may offend you, Your Majesty."

I scoffed. "I'll be the one to decide it. Hand it over."

He hesitantly reached into his knapsack and pulled out the letter (a scroll tied with purple ribbon and a red wax seal). The seal wasn't broken. I broke it, unfurled the scroll, and read.

_To the Commander of the Ironwood Army,_

_Greetings. I am Lord Adriel of the House of Burlingame, the current duke of the Monmouth Dukedom. Though I do not know of you, I have heard of you. For a man of your position, I suspect that you are of high position. Perhaps a duke like myself? Even if you are of lower rank, I shall see you as an equal for being a leader of such efficient army and being able to easily overtake the famed fort of Agansberg. _

_I write this letter to you in hopes that you will find an ally in me for your kingdom as I look upon you. _

_I have declared a war for my dukedom's independence in the face of endless wars that Galburia fights. I have grown tired of it, and if you are a ruling noble like I am, you know this to be true. The conquering territories of the Kan and Revyola were warring states that fought for dominance in the region, even if Revyola was under Galburian rule. I beseech you to consider my own situation._

_My army is large and I have the supplies to feed them, but I fear for my people. My army may be large, but even I know that King of Galburia has even larger army. _

_I suggest to you a temporary alliance for the duration of both of our wars._

_It will also be beneficial to you. In exchange for this alliance, in which we will work together to defeat Galburia, I shall provide half a thousand worth of barrels of food and entertainment for your soldiers each two weeks. _

_I hope to receive good news, for you are the enemy of my enemy._

_Signed,  
Duke Adriel the Pious of the Monmouth Dukedom  
Lord Protector of Itus Church of God Seeking_

... This was a serious consideration to make.

"Well... your duke is a very honest man," I said as I gave the scroll one last look.

The messenger didn't respond, and that was good. I had a few things to tell him.

I then looked straight into his eyes. "A bit too honest, if I'm right."

He nodded. "His grace does not play politics like the other Galburian nobles."

"Even yourself?"

He looked shocked. "Your Majesty?"

"Your demeanor and actions as well as etiquette and the ability to talk to me as if I was one of your own humans speak well of your training. Unless this is all part of your messenger training and that armor as fanciful as yours is given freely..." I explained.

"You honor me, Your Majesty," he bowed slightly.

"Leave me for the day. I'll call upon you tomorrow with my decision."

The messenger bowed again, and left the tent with backpedaling.

The human warrior who had escorted the messenger left with the man.

Now that I was alone, I began to think about.

Half a thousand barrels worth of foodstuff... That was a serious consideration. After all, I was sustaining my army on exactly twice that amount of food each week. Accepting those supplies would mean that my army's morale would be at its highest.

I mentally opened up the [Army] screen.

The [Army] screen was actually something I discovered a few days during my march from Agansberg to our next destination -which was still the destination. The inspiration behind it was me wanting a military analog of the [City Manager] screen. Simple as that and few specific wordings was all I needed to make it happen.

The [Army] screen had a few tabs just like the [City Manager]: army, supplies, and morale and efficiency.

The army tab showed me what my army was from the average unit's armor to army composition. Supplies tab showed me when the next convoy was going to arrive, how much more food and water and thus how many days I could sustain the army, and so on. The morale and efficiency was actually one tab together. Morale was determined by a diverse number of factors. Efficiency was the translation of that morale and military training; it was how efficient the army was at following orders and at killing people.

Food was one of the main sources of morale. Good food boosted an average morale by at least a quarter, which would then translate to 5% increase in efficiency, and 5% increased efficiency meant each of my troops were more likely to kill someone after their first kill then they were not likely.

The reason why I couldn't give my troops more food was because there was none.

As much as the trombo worms were good at reproducing and growing _fat_, there was a lot of people who now came to be dependent on those trombo meats. In the past year, the population of my city and the surrounding region spiked with all of the slaves seeking freedom in my country and non-human immigrants wanting to leave human-dominated nations. Last time I checked, the population of the city was around thirty four thousand people, and twice that lived on the core Ironwood provinces.

Also, I didn't trust the safety of my supply convoys if it got any larger. It would surely attract unwelcome attention from a lot of places if it did so. If I were to split up the convoy into many tiny convoys, then it would mean that more warriors and levies would have to be spared to make sure those convoys were well guarded.

I also realized with the [Army] that my greed has done me no good either. The inclusion of those from Agansberg had dwindled the supply, and have been doing so steadily.

... Did I even have an officer in charge of the supplies? I'll have to look into it.

This alliance would solve two things: the food supply and one less enemy to worry about.

Sure, I can just ignore the alliance and also the Monmouth, stating that I would be happy with just a non-aggression pact. However, I saw little downsides to this.

* * *

Wensil Burlingame was nervous, because he was surrounded not by monster races -and those that Galburia did not put into their Listed Races- but because of the sheer strength this army represented.

Born and raised in Monmouth Dukedom, Wensil was the current's duke relative, a cousin some five times removed in the paternal line. As it was tradition, he was trained in the ways of the court and the ways of the House of Burlingame as well as his duties to his house and his dukedom. Due to his pretty face and his smooth voice, he had been trained to be the diplomat for the House of Burlingame in situations where the duke -or duchess, whoever was in power- could not meet with the other side's leader.

He knew that his skills were lacking in many field, but he was one of the few dual class holders in the entire house!

He was both a Diplomat and a Knight, a combination sought after for their service. He was proud of both himself and his house for granting him such noble bloodline. After all, he was but two decades old, and yet, he had more skills, techniques, and classes than men twice his age!

But... he now stood within the confines of an army whose members were either multi-classed, well-trained, evolved classes, or a combination of them all.

While it was not known to his family, he was in possession of a unique skill. He called it [Observe]. It gave him a general impression of what kind person he was [Observe]ing.

And when he [Observe]ed the troll...

Oh boy.

His [Observe] told his [Observe]ee in comparison to himself, ranging from L(meaning too weak compared to him) to S#+, where # stood for _multiples _of how strong the [Observe]ee was compared to him (2 being minimum for #), and these comparisons popped up in his mind as words spoken to him. And when he [Observe]ed this troll king before he left...

He blanched. Hard.

Because this was what he heard.

_Ruto, King of Ironwood. Strength S7+, Speed S4+, Wisdom S2+, Magic S10+_

He had a bloody right to be nervous! He stood right in the middle of an army trained by a _true god-like bein__g_!

"You okay?"

Wensil looked up from the log bench he had been sitting on.

It was the human soldier who had escorted him to the troll king.

Though it was rude, he used [Observe] on the man.

_Mario, Warrior of Ironwood. Strength S2+, Speed A, Wisdom B+, Magic S3+_

'Another bloody monster,' Wensil thought to himself. And the entire army here were filled with powerful people like this Mario.

"Just ... tired, I suppose," he replied. "And awed?"

Mario blinked. "By what?" the black man asked.

"This army."

Mario looked around. "What about it?"

"How are you all so strong?" he blurted out. He scowled. That was unbecoming of his training. He must be really tired.

Instead of being suspicious or rude, Mario ... laughed.

"Are we?"

The return question threw Wensil off.

"I don't know about others, but I don't think I'm that strong," he replied.

'Not strong, my ass,' he thought to himself. "But you are stronger than me."

"Am I? How do you know?"

"... I'm just a noble messenger, not a trained warrior or soldier."

Mario nodded once. "Makes sense."

"... Well?"

"Hmm?"

"How are you all so strong?"

Mario looked confused, as if the question was weird, but then he realized something and told Wensil. "Because our king demands it."

"...That's can't be the only reason."

"Of course not! Our king personally grants all Highlander warriors their classes!"

Wensil frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"It's not well known outside of the city, but all Highlanders who have proven their loyalty and willingness to fight for the kingdom are granted the choice to choose their own class," Mario grinned. "I _chose _to become a Warrior class, you know?"

Wensil's mind scrambled, heated, shut downed, and rebooted.

"Wut."

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 243:**

The choice for me was simple.

"Tell Duke Monmouth that I will gladly accept his offer for alliance, but I demand that we meet at a neutral location to cement our agreement," I told the messenger once were were both back in the command tent along with some of my commanders.

Particularly, Commander Garen and Commander Lux. Both of them must have been formerly leaders as slaves during their time in Galburia; they were very good at commanding and relaying commands and did so with the ease of veterans.

"A neutral location, milord?"

"Yeah. I want a declaration of alliance, if he really wants it, sworn upon the Contract Emblem," I replied.

He sucked his breath in sharply.

I knew exactly what I was asking for.

Contract Emblem was the thing of ultimates. As in ultimate promise, ultimate contract, etc etc... For myself to ask his own duke to swear upon the Contract Emblem equated to two things: 1) I don't trust you and 2) it was going to be binding as per terms of whatever alliance we say we will have.

I know that it was rude to someone basically extending a hand of friendship, but as a leader, I had to be sure of their intentions and motivations.

"I ... will be sure to relay this information to my lord."

I nodded before turning to Garen. "Garen. Make sure the messenger here receives supplies for his trip back."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

* * *

We were marching once more.

* * *

**Interesting News around the World  
****Rutos Year 6 + Day 260:  
(Caladrian Calendar November 15th, 891 of the Fifth Era)**

*Many of the former states of Canterrius Empire have declared their intent to forgo the reunification of the Empire and have declared independence from the system. Roughly half of the dukes and counts remain.

*The sudden rebellion of the Monmouth Dukedom has left the Kingdom of Galburia in a perilous position. Without the food coming in from Monmouth Dukedom, a quarter of all supply lines (food related) are simply gone. This has caused a scramble within the courts across Galburia to subdue Monmouth, lest this lack of supply lead to starvation for everyone. The king has made no official edict regarding Monmouth's rebellion.

*Maurya Empire strikes again. They have launched an all out assault on one of the strongest fort along the frontlines. The Crown Prince is said to be commanding the troops there.

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Galburian Holy War: This is the Counterattack, Bakayaro! (Ch. 106)  
Continent's Strongest Military (Chapter 106)**


	112. Chapter 112

_**Arc:  
Ironwood Counterattack**_

**Part 1: Monmouth Alliance and the Siege of Pimonius City  
Part 2: Waken, Demon Lord  
Part 3: Grimm's Pet**

* * *

**Part 1**

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 261:  
**

I got the reply from the Duke of Nonmouth... Mothmouth? Monmouth! Yes, the Duke of Monmouth's reply reached me after I razed a particularly nasty village that liked to sacrifice their slaves. Most of the people -both men and women- were hyped and pumped on their "Ankh Juice." They were so ferocious in defending their "benevolent god" that I said "Fine. Go burn with him."

And burn them, I did.

It was also the same messenger.

Wensil ... something.

"Ah, it's you again," I grinned, hoping that this messenger doesn't take it the wrong way. I was just trying to make a good impression now that my situation had gotten a little bit more desperate.

Over the course of the last twenty days or so, my troops had met with a lot of fighting, not counting the burning village. Bandits, small adventurer groups, and even hyped up militia. The constant fighting had reduced their morale, so I had allowed a free reign on food for a day or so... I shouldn't have. Bloody hell, in the span of that single day, they cleared twentieth of the entire food stockpile we had!

So yes, my food situation was getting little _bit _worrying.

Lo and behold, my solution came, hopefully with a positive response.

Wensil got off his horse and bowed to me. He raised his head back up and started nervously. "I-It's good to see you again, Your Majesty."

I raised an eyebrow. 'He hadn't been this nervous before, or was it the exhaustion getting the better of him?' I glanced at the horse that he got off, and saw that it was huffing and puffing in exhaustion. 'Exhaustion then.' I looked at him in the eyes and nodded. "Indeed, Messenger Wensil. Now, do you have the answer of your liege?" I asked, going into my diplo-leader mode.

The man nodded and pulled out a scroll from the knapsack he held. He held it out gingerly to me, and I took it with a snatch of my hand. I broke the wax seal and rolled it open.

It was agreed upon.

"Good," I smiled as I read the location of where we should meet. I raised my eyebrow. My army actually just passed where the meeting was to hold place. "Tell your lord that I shall be seeing him in a week or so."

He saluted and left at my dismissal.

When he was gone, I set the scroll aside and pondered. Now that I had fully accepted on the Monmouth Dukedom becoming my ally, thoughts entered my head .

A new ally. It has been a while since I had gained one. The last ally I had gained was the Grand Duchy of Sarang, who was waging a war as my ally against the Galburia in the southeast of my position. Unlike myself, she had run into competent enemies, not that she complained though. She was as bloodthirsty as she had been when I first met her on the battlefield few years ago. To her, fighting Galburia without fearing for the complete annihilation of her country was a huge "thank you very much!"

On the other hand, there was my first ally, King Christopher of Carpathi Kingdom. Calm, patient, and kind, he was the exact opposite of Duchess of Sarang. However, he was taking the backseat in this war. He sought only to make sure that the border regions along his kingdom was secured so that no Galburian army can use it to attack my kingdom or his. And as he had told me before the start of this war, he was holding his troops back; his kingdom was still recovering from its latest conquest that had drained its manpower.

I wondered if Monmouth would be one of my new permanent allies.

... I would have to wait and see.

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 266:**

To my surprise, Duke Monmouth arrived a few days earlier than I had expected him to, and he came with significantly large army (about three thousand troops for a duchy was quite big, in my opinion. I'm fielding three thousand right now, after all, and I'm a king!).

I've been taught by Senna that in the world of politics, the man with the power -usually nobles in this world- would intentionally arrive late to the party or meeting to flaunt their untouchability. Maybe this was the Duke's subtle way of saying that he was going to be junior partner in this alliance?

... Hmm, certainly not what I had in mind.

But before I could make more judgements, I wanted to meet this duke. So I got off my kodo mount, and flanked by only two bodyguards, I walked across the field.

I saw the duke do the same, bringing two guards with him.

And we met halfway from both of our armies.

The duke was a small man... by my standards. But then again, as a tall Zandalari Troll, everything looked small to me.

"So," I began. "You came."

The duke did not look happy about meeting me, though. "You wanted me to swear the alliance upon the Contract Emblem. That is a big insult."

Ah. So that's what this straight to business attitude was about.

I scratched the back of my head, and then I let out a sigh. "Look. I'll be honest with you. The alliance you offered to me was tempting. Really tempting. But you have to see this from my perspective. You're a Galburian, even if you've rebelled against your king. Your people have raided my kingdom's border for nearly three years now. I've heard that you're a honest man," I subtly complimented him. "And that's why I'm even here. If I hadn't even heard that, I would have scoffed at your offer and ignored you."

The duke of Monmouth stared at me for a while before he grunted. "Valid reasons... for a troll." There was a pause before he answered. "I don't know if you know, but demanding an alliance sworn upon the Contract Emblem is a very significant insult. It's basically telling the other party that you would never trust them to uphold their pact of alliance."

"So I'm calling you, a ruler, an oathbreaker."

He nodded.

"... Aight. Sorry."

He raised an eyebrow. "You would apologize so readily as a king?"

I shrugged. "I made a mistake, even if it was intentional and completely necessary on my part. The least I could do is tell you that I am sorry about it."

He drew in a deep breath before he sighed. "Fair enough. How shall the contract be worded?" he asked.

* * *

In the end, this was the wording the Ironwood-Monmouth Alliance Pact.

I, King Ruto the First of Ironwood Kingdom, Duke of Carpathi Mountains, Duke of Kan, Duke of Revyola, and the head of the Clan of Ironwood, hereby swear upon my Contract Emblem of Ironwood Kingdom that I shall come to the defense of my ally, Monmouth Dukedom, in their hour of need against outside forces. He shall do the same for me and my kingdom, and in return, we shall both open up our borders for reduced tariff trade.

I, Duke of Monmouth, Count of Olafshire and head of the House of Burlingame, hereby swear upon my Contract Emblem of Monmouth Dukedom that I shall uphold this alliance as stated by the King of Ironwood. For the defense of my northern borders, I shall offer his army five hundred barrels of foodstuff and entertainment every two weeks for the duration of the Ironwood's war with Kingdom of Galburia.

So mote it be.

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 270:**

After the alliance was made, I collected the first supply from Monmouth and headed northwest to not only cut off enemy supply lines, but also the ruin their supply depots.

Our target? The capital city of the Duchy of Pimonius, the duchy of the late Anatolius vez Toranduo (the one who parked his army by the side of a mountain without knowing my army was on the other side, and got massacred by my army's arrows). My scouts told me that with the near total defeat at the Slaughter of Mount Shonia, the new Duke of Pimonius, the late duke's nephew, had less than a thousand man to keep order throughout his entire duchy when said duchy rivaled Monmouth Dukedom in size.

So unless the newb decides to hole up in his capital city (which is the smart thing to do), he was going to be easy pickings.

"My lord, t-this is irresponsible!"

I looked up and stared at one of the warriors. He was one of my personal bodyguards, and took serious pride in doing so. Unfortunately, he was also a very keen student of Shirou, and more loyal to him than myself. Funny, right? Well, regardless of his loyalties, he was currently trying his best to dissuade me.

Dissuade me of what? Scouting.

Yes, I, the King Ruto of Ironwood Kingdom, had decided I was going to personally scout out the enemy capital city. I, of course, have numerous amount of skills and techniques, so it was going to be a piece of cake. In fact, I don't have to endanger myself by going near the city. I could just hide myself in the nearby forest and [Observe] the shit out of the place.

Still, I suppose it was their _duty _to make sure that I was as safe as possible.

... Maybe Shirou was siccing them on me. After all, half of the bodyguards who were with me were chosen personally by Shirou.

"It'll be fine, Johnathan!" I grinned as I equipped dark robes from within my [Inventory]. "It's not like I can't defend myself, right? I am a triple S rank."

"But sir, what if an accident happens or-?"

I cut him off my lightly bonked him on the head. "Hey. The king does as the king wishes. Aight?"

The warrior sighed. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Don't tell anyone outside of the commanders that I'm gone."

"Yes, sir."

"Cheer up. Maybe I'll get you a souvenir."

"Lord Shirou would kill me for this."

"I'll stop him for ya," I replied cheekily before vanishing from the camps with a mighty jump.

* * *

When I finally saw the city, I was about a five or so kilometers away from its walls. I stood on top of a thick oak tree in a forest that overlooked the city from on top of a mountain.

"[Observe]," I chanted.

**[Distance: 5.3 kilometers. Observe Success Chance: 13%]**  
**[Observe failed]**

I grimaced. As I had suspected, this was going to take a while.

* * *

When I finally managed to get it right, I got this returned to me.

**[Observation of Pimonius City**  
**Wall Strength: 99.1% +0.01% per day**  
**Wall Magic Reinforcement Strength: 90%**  
**Garrison: ~700**  
**Levy: ~1,500**  
**Retinue: ~800**  
**Civilians: ~41,900**  
**Food stock: 90 days]**

So they were well stocked and well defended, I thought to myself. This was going to be troublesome.

I sat down on the oak branch and pondered; I also didn't have to worry about being spotted because the old oak's canopy was thick enough to disguise me.

On top of that, the walls were magically reinforced. Even if I managed to attack the wall itself to bring it down, I would be hard pressed actually do so; with 90% reinforcement, the [Gamer] calculated that my overall damage will be lower than five hundred, which is nowhere enough to bring down a wall.

The city was also reinforced with decent amount of troops, which meant that I was going to have to siege it down instead of attacking it like I had done with Agansberg.

"I suppose it won't be hard," I muttered to myself. "Just troublesome and counter to our strategy so far."

The strategy that I spoke of was "hit-and-run" tactic that I had my entire army employ. I knew that staying in one place was a no-go for my troops. After all, Galburian forces, even those under dukes, outnumbered us. If those dukes decided to attack me together, then while I won't suffer too much damage because of how powerful I was, the same could not be applied to my army.

If an event like that occurred, I would have the scrub the entire campaign and even the war, depending on how severely my army was affected.

If I chose to siege Pimonius City, then I would be doing exactly that; inviting an attack upon my troops, but without conquering this city, I would always be limited to current area of operation or if I delved deep into enemy territory, I would have to cut off my supply lines, lest they be assaulted from enemies using Pimonius City as base.

I could always recall Shirou and his troops from rebel hunting, but that was a bad idea in and of itself.

Have the snipers patrol the area around the city? Possible, but siege itself will weaken as a result, and may force the enemy to gather far outside of the local region, which makes for spying on enemy movement hard.

I could forgo the entire siege by jumping in there by myself, but I had no idea whether or not the city had S rankers.

Funny thing about the [War] declaration and subsequent ranker numbering: because S rankers loyal only to certain locations were considered by the [Gamer] as not loyal to Galburia, this meant that the number of S rankers and above that Galburia had was their _minimum_, not their total number of S rankers, because the [Gamer] only counted the number of S rankers in their military, _not their fucking militia or private military forces like individual dukes' armies _.

My eyes widened as the answer to this problem popped into my head.

Oh.

_Oh_.

I couldn't stop the grin splitting my face.

"I can always try that... yes, yes... No one will expect it too, not when there is a siege going on in front of them."

* * *

**Part 2**

* * *

The King of Caladria, Lelouch vi Britannia, sighed.

He had been inside this dark space for who knows how long. He remembered the glorious ceremony where he stood before his people to celebrate the defeat of the Uxukhanian horde.

And then he remembered his body being struck by a crossbow bolt.

For the umpteenth time since his arrival to this place, he cursed his lack of tighter security.

How ... stupid of him.

'... Have I grown careless because of where I am?' Lelouch thought to himself. It was not the first time he asked himself this question, but it kept on coming back to him. 'Have I grown loose because I have been reborn to a world that is so peaceful compared to my previous life?' He paused and nodded. 'Yes, I have grown relaxed. I should have kept up with the securities, especially in an open festival like this one.'

'Which leads to my next question. Am I dead?'

A light appeared.

'A cliche end to this...'

* * *

King Lelouch vi Britannia woke up after nearly a year in coma.

* * *

**Part 3**

* * *

Jaune sighed as he continued his trip westward. Why did he choose west? He had forgotten. Why didn't he just move down now that he was _sure _that he was outside of the Quonx Grand Republic's sphere of influence? No particular reason to do so.

He was just said he had to leave Cherry behind.

'Oh Cherry, the most beautiful of the Gin Cartel boss's daughters... How I miss you so,' he thought to himself sadly.

Or was it Lisa? He forgot. He just missed that girl's pussy, really.

...

Sadly, he hadn't improved much from his previous life regarding his rather romantic -even if lame more than not- disposition.

His nose itched.

He sniffed.

Smoke.

He opened his eyes and looked around.

In the distance, there were several columns of thick, black smoke rising into the sky.

Forest fire? Jaune guessed. He disregarded it. The fire was too controlled to be of nature. As he grew closer -having unconsciously steered his Nevermore-, he saw that the fire was originating from arid shrublands. There were few vegetation, but not enough to keep a fire big enough to send those huge columns of smoke into the air.

Then it's artificial.

...

A scream echoed quietly and the smell of blood hit him like a speeding truck.

And Jaune's lips split into a grin. He couldn't hold himself back. The smell of _human blood _was like a euphoric drug.

He wanted it.

It was so tantalizing. Just begging him to take a bite.

A harmless bite...

Just a little ... chomp.

'But it was wrong!' a corner of his mind, probably the sane portion of it, protested vehemontly, but it was in vain.

"Tee hee," he giggled as the Nevermore underneath him split into two.

Then four.

Then eight.

Sixteen. Thirty-two. Sixty-four. Hundred-twenty-eight.

And finally, the grimm underneath his boots grew to gigantic portions, growing to easily match four of its lesser brethrens in wingspan.

Jaune stood up from the giant Nevermore's back and stared gleefully towards where he assumed was a raid. He raised his hands, and pulled them down.

One hundred-twenty-seven Nevermores cawed in cacophony as they flew towards the fire like arrows.

* * *

Aliana trembled as she waited out this raid against her village. Her parents had shoved her into this cramped room, and told her not to leave it until she couldn't hear anything.

All about her, she could hear the screams of her friends and neighbors. Her small hands trembled as she tried to block out the sounds of Jonny's mother begging for Jonny's life-. No, they're dead.

She sobbed quietly, too afraid to let those sounds reach the raiders.

"CAAAWWWWWW"

She froze.

Screams, this time from the raiders. They were far worse than the screams of her own neighbors. They were the sounds of -

She wanted to hurl.

Chomp. Chomp. Riippppp.

She could _hear _the raiders being torn apart alive.

Chomp chomp chomp.

CHOMP.

She froze.

That sound was _close_.

Light filtered into her tiny hiding hole.

She looked up shakily.

There was a man standing over her, grinning down at her with a bloody mouth.

With a hand between his teeth.

Chomp.

The hand fell into her lap.

She fainted.

* * *

Jaune chewed thoroughly, breaking through all flesh and bones.

He kept on chewing and then swallowed.

The hand he had been chewing on hadn't been a human, but it tasted good enough. Not euphoric like a human's... All of the dead were either brutish or looked like faunus. 'Weren't they called beastmen in this world?' he questioned himself.

"UOOOHH~!"

Jaune looked over his shoulder, and saw a brave -stupid- human raider charge up to him with a rusted axe.

He nearly grinned maniacally, imagining the sweet, sweet flesh he was about to devour.

When the man reached the swing range, he swung, but Jaune moved into his guard. He struck up with his fist, snapping the poor man's arm in half.

As the raider shrieked, Jaune shoved his right thumb into the man's left eye.

The shriek doubled in pitch. How did that even work? Wasn't this a man, too?

The raider pounded at Jaune, swung his axe, but it was for naught.

Far too annoyed to care, Jaune used the rest of his right hand's fingers to get a good grip on the man's head.

Then, he _squeezed_.

The man's skull broke apart with cracks and crunches in an instant.

He dropped dead.

Jaune couldn't resist.

So as some of the fleeing raiders and villagers watched in horror -those who were lucky enough to avoid his Nevermores-, he knelt down and cracked open the dead raider's ribs and skull, and like a beast, stuck his mouth in there.

* * *

Jaune blinked, and he was staring at literally tongue cleaned bones in front of him.

"Ah nuts," he grumbled as he looked at himself. There was blood everywhere! "This is gonna be hard to wash out..."

He looked about, taking in the situation.

The village was abandoned now. The Nevermores he had created were tearing apart whatever flesh remained.

"..."

Jaune paused and looked towards one of the houses.

* * *

She could still hear them out there.

She was tiring of whimpering and sobbing, though. She would wait.

...

_Creak_

Her heart began to pound in her ear once more.

The door to her hiding hole ripped open, and she couldn't even scream; the shock and fear caught her throat in a bind.

"Hello there~" a human with a bloody mouth and hands grinned. "... You look familiar."

She whimpered.

"Bunny ears, brown hair, those round eyes... Do you remember me, Velvet?"

She shook her head.

"Ah shucks. You don't remember. But it's okay. You'll be staying with me now!"

She fainted. What else was she to do?

* * *

**Interesting News around the World  
****Ruto's Year 6 + Day 300:  
(Caladrian Calendar December 24th, 891 of the Fifth Era)**

*The Order of the Crescent Moon, former order of bodyguards of the previous Canterrius Empire, have overthrown the current occupiers of the capital city of the empire, the City of the White Towers. They have declared that they will be waiting for the eventual return of the true blood of the last emperor, and to that end, they have declared the city and its surrounding provinces as the Kingdom of Awaiting.

*The Red Flight Drakken Kingdom has declared its intent to squash the fledgling clan-states that rose from its rebellions.

*Urdonis Clan, one of the former ruling clans of the Yola-Cohkman Empire, has conquered vast territories from its neighboring clans and states, establishing itself as a local power. Yoal Kingdom has asked the clan for alliance, though there has yet to be a reply.

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Galburian Holy War: This is the Counterattack, Bakayaro! (Ch. 106)  
Continent's Strongest Military (Chapter 106)**


	113. Chapter 113

_***Removed Prestige and Infamy as they were useless.**_

* * *

_**Arc:  
Ironwood Counterattack**_

**Part 1: If it's not above or around...  
Part 2: Back at Ironwood  
Part 3: Boman the Magical Brewer**

* * *

**Part 1**

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 303:  
**

Smokes rose high into the sky.

I observed the siege taking place around Pimonius City. For about three weeks now, my troops laid a heavy siege upon the defenders of the city. Now, the entire area around the city walls was blackened with numerous fires and magic. The walls themselves weren't free of stains either. More surface of the walls were painted in black soots than areas that were not. All vegetation in the area had been burned or used too. It really made the place desolate.

Though, it was fitting. It was war, after all.

"Haul another one at that tower over there," I commanded the catapult officer.

The orc saluted, and then barked out orders. "Move those boulders into place and get those mages to light it up!"

A cluster of mana bombs were placed on the catapult, and the magicians enchanted for the mana bombs to become explosive (it was a new variety of Lesser Mana Bomb that one of the magicians had created. I rather liked it and used it a lot in this siege).

And they let it rip.

With a mighty heave, the mana bombs flew up into the air and rolled across the sky.

There was a rumble as if there was an avalanche.

'But the tower is not down,' I grumbled. To my frustration and the nearly audible relief of the defenders, the damnable tower still stood, and the thing that crumbled was my own elation. I decided long ago that whoever set up those enchantments were going to be punished ... by being forced to teach my magicians how to do it ourselves.

On the other hand, other parts of the siege were going well.

Yes, the city was surrounded by wards and barriers that prevented attacks from above, but even so, piercing enchantment -however brief- were cast every several hours or so on Hwachas to allow for brief barrages of arrows. It drained the magicians for hours, but each barrage whittled down their number, and they had plenty of time.

I looked up to the sky and frowned. "It's noon already? Oi, didn't we start today's siege at sunrise?"

My secretary/adjutant walked up. "Yes, sir," the tauren warrior replied. "As per the schedule you have set up for the troops, the troops should be falling back soon to enjoy their lunch meal."

I nodded. Hungry soldiers were useless. Keep a soldier well fed, well entertained, and well paid, and you have a force to be reckoned with.

As for the enemy troops inside Pimonius...

I liberally used [Observe] to track the impact of our daily sieges, and it was working. Their food supply had fallen from 19k units to 10k units, their troops were only half of what there used to be, and of the eight commanders, only six remained. Unfortunately, the siege had the side effect of killing a hundredth of the civilian population.

I saw the civilians of enemy nations as future resources. Most civilians were accepting of changes to the ruling nations, and none of the civilian populations of the conquered nations so far have yet to rebel nor did they give any indication of one. To me, killing civilian was thus a waste of time, resource, and effort. A hundredth of a population in a major city like Pimonius was a lot of people, even if I were to assume they were all homeless. Even homeless bums could be useful if they were pushed into service.

Now, I had laws in place in Ironwood Kingdom regarding that. The whole "freedom" thing that Shirou and Senna insisted upon. I intended to respect it, but there were ways I could still get people to work. Incentives, for one, would drive them. If they weren't moved by incentives, then there would be punishment.

Hmm... How would I punish them though?

I tapped my chin in though.

Then an idea hit me.

A law that says you have to hold a productive job and a debt repaying law!

... Shirou and Senna will definitely throw a fit, but I'm sure I can make it work!

I nodded to myself in approval.

Seeing that the sun slowly dip towards west from its peak, I went off to work on my own project.

* * *

"How much longer?" I asked the diggers.

I was now in a tunnel, surrounded by sweaty men and women digging up the rocks and dirt.

"I'd say we've got only a day worth of work, Your Majesty!" the lead digger, a reptilian kobold, yeeked out between his unending pickaxe strikes.

I gave them all a thumbs-up. "Give yourself some rest! I don't want any of you fainting on me on the day of the breach, you hear me?!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the miner roared back.

I grunted and nodded and made my way back.

The tunnel was long, but it was also stable.

This was the plan that I had thought of those few weeks ago.

You couldn't get this city from above or around, and I couldn't afford to remain without defensive structures in the middle of nowhere. 'Actually, I'm surprised no other count or duke has attacked us yet,' I thought to myself.

My army and I had been here for the better part of three weeks. It was enough time for messengers or scouts to spot us and for rumors to grow. In fact, there should've been an attack at least a week ago. So what was preventing them?

I heard my own fair share of rumors about Galburia and its vast battlefronts. I was worried exactly because of that. Galburian armies were gathering, but they weren't attacking me; all of them were heading westward. Unfortunately, I hadn't received any news yet from that side of the war, so I'll have to continue without that information. It was frustrating though, not knowing.

"Boss, what's on the dinner menu again?!" one of the kobold warriors asked, taking a pause in his digging.

"It's trombo worm again!"

"Argh! Seriously!? Why do we have those everyday? Can't we have some whole chicken for once?"

Some of the diggers around him laughed, and I laughed with them.

No matter how good a food was, you were bound to get sick of it if you had to eat it for weeks on end. Hell, I knew that i was sick of it too. Unfortunately for me, I was a member of this dysfunctional family called the army; I ate what the rest of the family ate, not better. I also found out that I didn't mind. It felt _right _to eat the same as the rest of my soldiers, warriors, and magicians. A part of me inherently rejected the notion of eating better than my own people because I was their commander in the field. A corner of my mind, though, niggled me, pointing out that this was a by-product of my [Family Commander] trait than my own conscious choice.

I dismissed those thoughts.

"But aside from that," I spoke up. "Tomorrow is the day we strike!"

"AYE!"

"Finally!"

"Ah, really? I'd liked digging, your majesty."

I chuckled at the cacophony of acknowledgements and complaints. Rowdy bunch, these soldier/diggers were.

"Just be ready for combat, alright?"

"Yes, sir!" they shouted as one.

* * *

**Year 6 + Day 307:**

The day had come.

The catapults and hwachas continued to pour projectiles to keep the magicians occupied, but the soldiers weren't above ground.

Oh, there were enough on the ground itself to keep the defenders from thinking too much, but the rest? They were all underground.

Waiting for my command.

I stood in front of them at the exit of the tunnel, where there were still some more dirt to dig up.

"You know my rules. No killing civilians unless they attack you. No raping or looting. I'm paying you for a reason."

"Yes, sir!"

I grinned. "Then let's have another go at capturing a city!" I roared and unleashed a minor 5 technique skill chain on the dirt between us and Pimonius City.

* * *

Duke Pimonius jerked awake when he heard a thundering boom within his city.

He jumped out of his bed and ran towards the balcony. "Where's the-?!" he shouted for the servants but stopped when he saw what the noise had been about.

There was a huge hole in the middle of the city where the city square used to be. From the hole, the monsters and the traitors from Ironwood Kingdom crawled out like a swarm of ants. All of his defenders had been caught unaware. One of the barracks were on fire. The most well-defended central tower on the wall had been captured, flying the green and black flag of the Ironwood Kingdom.

His city had fallen.

* * *

Although the duke had given up, some of its fighters hadn't.

"Evacuate the city! Evacuate the city!" one commander roared over the fires and the fighting. "The city is lost! Evacuate the city!"

He pulled his cutlass out of the troll warrior he had just slain, and slashed down at an orc. The orc blocked his strike with his own, but it was in vain. The inferior steel of the orc's saber snapped under the sharpness of the mithril cutlass, and the cutlass cleaved the orc's head in twain.

A soldier ran up to him and quickly spoke despite the blood and gore covering him. He held to his missing left arm stump admirably and spoke without pain nor hesitation. "Commander Reynolds, the Fifth Militia reported that they have evacuated a thousand civilians, but are unable to return to the city due to the siege! After they got through, the monsters surrounded the city on all sides!"

Reynolds growled. A thousand civilians only? That's ... that's less than a tenth of the entire city. They were all going to burn.

"Tell them to get the thousand out of the duchy. Get them somewhere safe!" Reynold hastily ordered before he jumped back into the fray.

Another runner ran up. "Commander, the Second Company was wiped out!" he shrieked as he dodged a stray arrow. "The south gates have been thrown open!"

Reynolds grunted. The city had fallen from inside out. A single gate opening wouldn't change this fact.

"The Magician Corps have been captured! They brought the -!"

The new runner didn't even get to finish his message before a hail of arrows struck down on his position. It was just his luck to have been near a dozen soldiers who were the real targets.

Reynolds trailed the arrows and saw ...

Traitors.

Humans who had abandoned the kingdom in favor of the monster races of Ironwood.

"Curse you!" Reynolds roared before he pulled his cutlass back. "Ankh's Wrath!" he roared as he slashed towards the human snipers.

A crscent wave of black energy, bursting with electricity-like power, burst forth from his sword and struck the four snipers. The snipers shrieked as their body ripped itself apart.

Then there was a whistle.

And an earht-shattering boom as the world shifted.

Reynolds whirled around just in time to notice an incoming fist to raise his cutlass in defense. He managed to do it in time.

The fist smashed into his sword and flung him back.

Like a skipping stone, he flew away from the fist and bounced on the cobblestone road. He rolled to a stop, and groaned. His enchanted armor had just saved his ass, and he knew it.

"So you're the one that my troops have been reporting as an S rank."

Reynolds quickly got up.

And came face to face with a muscular, giant, and heavily armored troll. Armor in reddish pink hue.

_Polodium._

There was only one figure in the entire Ironwood army that had that armor color and make up.

He growled.

"King of Ironwood!" he roared as he charged forth with his cutlass drawn.

The troll smirked at him. Then that smirk died when Reynolds' cutlass cut through his open hand and lopped his right arm off.

Reynolds grinned in victory as he whirled around.

And got smashed in the face.

"That was fast."

Reynolds blinked as he tried to get up. When had he fallen to the ground? Didn't he just get struck?

His head stuttered as he lifted it up with all might he had. He had just enough strength to turn it around.

And watched in horror as the King of Ironwood merely held his stump of a right arm out and a new arm squelched out.

"You're fast. Definitely a S rank," it grinned as it popped its new knuckles. "But how are your defenses?"

The fists came down.

* * *

I stared at the dead man.

That's it?

He took ... three hits. That was fucking weak!

ARGH! I wanted a REAL BATTLE for once!

I grunted in frustration.

The guy had been fast though. When he chopped my arm off, I couldn't see him. Only by wildly swinging my other arm did I get him. Hell, if I didn't even do that, I'm not sure if I would've lived. I'm not sure if he noticed, but he actually sliced through some of my ribs too.

"Ah, that fucking hurts," I growled as I held my sides. "Hurry up, Gamer. I don't want to walk around with this."

I stared at my HP.

**HP: 244/1269**  
**Aegis Shield (Auto): 0**

Yikes. He shattered through all my defenses in a second and brought me so close to death in a small campaign like this.

Definitely an S rank. Well, a dead S rank.

Ping!

**[You punched through an enchanted armor! +1 STR]**

Ping!

**[You managed to hit something faster than you! You're not that bad, aren't ya? +1 AGI]**

Hardy har har. I get it. I'm slow.

I plucked an arrow aimed at my head from the air and snapped it without thinking too much.

"Ah bloody hell. I can't get him to teach me how he moved so fast," I moaned in disappointment. I noticed then that there were several brave -stupid- archers trying to kill me. I scoffed and let their arrows hit me. None of hit did so much as to scratch the armor or pierce my skin. They were all blocked by [Aegis Shield]'s Auto Defense.

They paled and scampered away. I thought about giving chase, but didn't. They would all be caught anyway.

"Let's finish up here!" I roared out as I projected a bow of my own and rapidly fired off arrows at a makeshift fortification of defenders just up ahead. "Then we feast tonight in victory!"

* * *

**[Battle Report**  
**Siege of Pimonius City**

**Your Participants: 3,209**  
**Enemy Participants: 2,193**

**Your Casualties: 313**  
**Enemy Casualties: 1,690**

**SS rank killed! (+50,000 EXP)**  
**Enemy Chief Commander captured (+1,000 EXP)**  
**Civilian Casualties: Low (+10,000 EXP)]**

**[LvL Up!**  
**+4 WIS**  
**+2 CHA]**

* * *

**Part 2**

* * *

Senna was ... bored.

Candy had left with Ruto to the western front. Shirou was out in the countryside putting down rebels with swords and words.

She was stuck in the city, taking care of Irowa, Ren, and the paperwork.

Oh dear lord, the unending nightmare that was the paperwork.

'Say what you will about governments,' she thought to herself, remembering the dissent towards governments in her previous life. 'But the mere fact that they operate underneath these mountains of paper is ... respectable.'

And it was, for around her, there were at least fifteen different stacks of paperwork, each from different departments of her government, and all of them were taller than her average height (for a Fae).

Bloody hell, why was she even doing this? She wanted to be out there in the forest doing ... _stuff_!

Not this!

She sniffled as little before ...

The pen flew across the room and the paperwork flew up into the air.

"FUCK THIS SHIT!"

* * *

The servants outside of the palace saw the purple beam light up the eastern wing of the palace, and sighed.

"Lady Senna is throwing a temper tantrum again."

* * *

**Part 3  
(Refer to Chapter 41 and Chapter 91 Interlude #2)**

* * *

My name is Boman, son of Sohan.

I was once a farmer in Galburian Duchy of Yalveria. A drought hit my village, and we were almost wiped out.

To survive, I joined wouldbe usurper Shkifield in his quest to take the then Duchy of Transyl-Carpathi from his twice removed cousin or something.

He failed, and I got caught.

I was then given over to the Monster Race clan that decimated Shkifield's armies time and time again, the Ironwood Clan.

I expected to be worked to death. That was the norm for prisoners of war.

Instead, I was given a cool rune tattoo (despite its less than happy purpose), given a home to live in, and freed when I showed good behavior (freed for good behavior! Such a revolutionary concept!). I worked at the trombo worm farms (big bugs whose meat tastes likes beef), and when I got the courage to do so, I got myself a distillery. I had a few run-ins with discontent merchants, but the king himself waved them off, stating the law and the fact that no merchant-only or guild-only rights existed in his mostly no-class society.

King Ruto was a great king. He listened to his people, showed mercy to his downtrodden enemies, and gave people a second chance.

"Well?" I asked as one of the famous gladiator champion downed my new beer. "What do you think?"

Isk Kar, a Fire Elemental Lord, stared at the beer mug for a second before he grinned, his flaming head turning yellow for a second from their usual red. "I love it!"

I pumped my fist into the air like I've seen Lord Mentor do it sometimes. "YES!"

"Let me have a sip!" one of my friends, a member of the Nes'Giorgca Fanalis Clan, snatched the beer mug and drained what was left there.

The fire elemental protested, but the girl ignored it. She shivered as the drink hit her core. Then she giggled. "Oh~, I like this," she giggled quietly. "How'd you make it?" she hiccuped. Then she fell over.

We both leaned over the table, and looked at her.

"... Lightweight?" I asked Isk kar, sicne he hung out with Nettia more than I did.

"No. This is strong stuff," he replied. "Leave her there. She'll be up soon."

"You sure?" I asked.

He nodded. "Don't underestimate a fanalis and their metabolism. But I have to ask the same question: how did you make this?" he asked me.

I grinned.

"Well... you know about that liquid mana incident few months back? When King Ruto was so pinned on making a whole gallon of the stuff?"

Isk kar shuddered. "That was ... insane. He had enough to buy out a small nation. I could literally smell the thick mana in the air. It was intoxicating but also so ... so ... terrifying."

I nodded. "I ... may have drained myself the same way for a few months."

"You WHAT?!" Isk kar roared as he shot up. His pleasant yellow fires changed to fiery blue. Oh boy, he was definitely angry.

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't burn the shop!" I protested as his heightened fire licked at the ceiling.

He stood there for a second before sitting back down harshly. "Explain yourself, Boman, but if I don't like it..."

The threat was clear. He was going to toss me into a gladiator pit. I wouldn't die, but I'm sure I'd leave with broken bones.

"I made a magician friend a month after the incident," I began. "And he wanted some too as did I. Did you know I had bigger than average mana pool?"

He shook his head.

"Well... everyday for a month, both of us drained half of her daily mana into mana-saturated water. It wasn't painful at all. Just tiring."

"...So that's why you were always tired."

I nodded. "By the end of the month, we had a drop of the stuff."

Isk kar gulped.

A drop of liquid mana was a big deal. If a magician consumed it in battle, then the magician would be capable of using magic spells he would never have been able to do in his life. Like a C rank Firecaster using a A rank Fire Storm.

"And I just dumped my half a drop into the beer distillery over there."

Isk kar froze. Then slowly, he turned his head towards the steam kettle I pointed to. It was the smallest of the distilation equipments since brewing beer wasn't a business for me (it was a hobby). Compared to the rest of them, it was _tiny_.

He stared and stared and then stood up.

"Isk?"

He walked over to the kettle, and lifted the hood.

I shot up. "ISK-!"

The fire elemental dunked his head in.

I gaped in shock as he chucked the entire thing down.

He came back up ten seconds later. His once fiery blue flames were sickly pink.

Intoxicated.

"Hick."

He fell over.

Nettia woke up. "W-What happened...?" she asked groggily just as the door bell rang and my oldest friend in Ironwood City, Raoll, came in.

"Hey Bo-. What happened here?"

I groaned.

* * *

**Interesting News around the World  
****Ruto's Year 6 + Day 360:  
(Caladrian Calendar January24th, 892 of the Fifth Era)**

*North Kermania has launched a surprise attack into the South Kermania with ten mercenary legions, which outnumbers the fifteen thousand or so troops South Kermania can field by four times. Necropolis has declared war for the defense of their ally. The surprise attack has had devastating effect on the front; the North now controls a fifth of the South Kermanian territory.

*Ironwood Kingdom has defeated Duke Pimonius at Siege of Pimonius City. Duke of Yalveria has pulled his volunteer army from the western front to defend his territory as Pimonius Duchy was right below his.

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Galburian Holy War: This is the Counterattack, Bakayaro! (Ch. 106)  
Continent's Strongest Military (Chapter 106)**


	114. Chapter 114

_***Removed Prestige and Infamy as they were useless.**_

_***It has been a while since I updated, eh? Let it be said that I also can suffer from writer's block and loss of interest. But I'm back, and ready to dish out more shit. Or words. Stories? Chapters? Whichever you prefer :P**_

_***Fixed on 4/18/2017**_

* * *

_**Arc:  
Ironwood Counterattack**_

**Part 1: Emergency/S rank Fights  
Part 2: The Odd Guy  
Part 3: Edward's Logistics**

* * *

**Part 2**

* * *

**Year 7 + Day 10:  
**

Yesterday was a good day. We tracked down another small division of Galburian army, this one commanded by some no name baron, and we wiped them out. We looted the bodies too, and managed to gain decent scrap metals to send back home.

Ping!

**[Warning: Special Quest update]**

I stared at the screen in front of me, and my face pale in abject horror.

**[Quest: GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE!**  
**Quest Giver: Red War God**

**Description:**  
**There is an army of twenty thousand troops total baring down on your position from north and south. The army also possesses 15 S rankers.**

**Army Composition:**  
**Remnant Army of Duke Pimonius (441)**  
**Remnant Army of Count Voliburgs (307)**  
**Army of Duke of Yalveria (6,730) + 2 S rankers**  
**Duchy of Yalveria's Holy Volunteer (2,999) + 1 S ranker**  
**Jotunschiff Mercenaries (995) + 1 S rankers**  
**Maylers Mercenaries (1,009) + 3 S rankers**  
**Count Witten (Yalveria Vassal) (3,090) + 1 S ranker**  
**Count Jotunschiff (Yalveria Vassal) (3,715) + 1 S ranker**  
**Count Bolimogus (Yalveria Vassal) (3,800) + 1 S ranker  
Brightsword Adventurers + 5 S rankers  
**

**Requirement:**  
***Survive against the army or retreat out of their reach (Agansberg)**

**Optional:**  
***Sp1: Retreat all the way back to Ironwood Kingdom with 90% of your troops minimum**  
***Sp2: Whittle down enemy troops**  
***Sp3: Kill enemy S rankers personally to gain experiencing fighting the "top 1%" of the world.  
*Sp4: ****Absolutely demolish Duke Yalveria's army (50% casualty for the enemy and less than 50% casualties for you)**

**Reward:**  
***+1 LvL**  
***Sp1: Troop morale +50% for 1 year**  
***Sp2: Troop Damage + 50% for 1 year  
*Sp3: +5 WIS per kill  
*Sp4: All reward for this mission is received in full with twice their original value**

**Failure:**  
***Death and fall of Ironwood Kingdom**

**Warning:**  
***Out of the 15 S rankers, 8 are magicians. Of the 8, 3 are barrier specialist (hint: this means your artillery is useless in a a hundred meter near those specialists)**  
***The Field Marshal of Duke Yalveria's army is a Class LvL 3 Tactician Master. Don't even attempt to outmaneuver him]**

"B-But how?!" I hissed in panic. "That's over half of the S rankers Galburia has!"

Ping!

**[Rankers not underneath the army's ruler is not counted]**

I stared at the new alert in absolute loathing. "I've been charging into unknown danger this whole time? Because you _forgot _to tell me?"

Ping!

**[Pretty much. Due to Red War God being your patron, you receive less information about the world and more information about your enemies you are engaging or close to engaging. This is partially why even though it has not been told to you, your Observation has a x2 [Mystery Penetration] when used on your enemies]**

Ping!

**[Mystery Penetration**  
**_How good are you at peering through the veil?_**  
**Quality: Attribute, Hidden**  
**Attribute = (Intrigue*INT*ObserveLvL)^(1/3)**  
***Automatically applied upon usage of **[Observe]  
***Per attribute of Mys. Pen. that is greater than target's **[Veil]**, **[Observe]** reports one variable of target's stats]**

I threw my hands up. "Alright, just dump me all of these shits at once," I growled before turning to my adjutant, who was staring at me in confusion (probably because of all of my "air-talk"). "Sound a retreat all the way back to Agansberg. There's an army of twenty thousand bearing down on us from northwest."

The adjutant looked shocked before hurrying off to the horn signalers and the standard bearers.

* * *

The Duke of Yalveria had gathered troops from other shattered armies (shattered by me), mercenaries, zealots, and whatever other manpower he could scrounge up, and put his older brother to be his field marshal. Because of his actions, the Duke of Yalveria was now about fourteen hundred gold coins in depth and possessed twenty thousand troops.

But he didn't care. Money and men could be restored over time. Once he lost his territory, though, that would be the end of it.

Forget restoring his foundation of power, he'll be sacrificed by his peers for not being able to protect his own territory and the kingdom!

"Milord, the invaders are retreating!" one of the farseers, combat magicians specializing in reconnaissance and far-sight obervations, reported as he landed by his side.

Duke Yalveria blinked. "What?"

"They already fell back at least two kilometers from their last reported positions, milord. Should we give chase?"

"Of course, we are! I didn't bankrupt myself for no reason! I'll at least collect their king's bounty! Send in the light cavalry! Kill them all!"

* * *

"Aw shit, they caught up so fast..." I grumbled to myself from the rear end of my army.

I had commandeered a kodo from one of the kodo riders, allowing me to easily [Observe] and see where the enemies were coming from and what they were moving towards.

As of the moment, my army had fell back maybe three kilometers or so at Forced March speed. In doing so, we had entered deep into a thick forest that the locals called Summer's End, because for some reason, this forest tended to lose all of its leaves way too quickly (according to the locals).

My army was using the only wide road that could accommodate anything like an army, and Yalveria's pursuing cavalry were using the road as well.

'I'm going to have to slow them down because the current aft fire from my magicians aren't doing enough damage to either the pursuers or the environment to slow the enemy down. No need to waste mana needless, though, and since we're in a thick forest, this should do it.'

I drew my fist back and jumped up from my mount. "[Mountain Killer]!" I called out as I struck the ground.

Instantly, the ground rumbled and spikes erupted all around the road centering me, and all of them faced towards the incoming cavalry. There was a cacophony of surprised horses and riders, but I had done my job. I activated [Running] and ran after my kodo.

* * *

**Year 7 + Day 11:**

They're still chasing us. We're still in the Forest of Summer's End -about at the center of it- and the camps that we set up were discovered by Yalveria's vanguard, which contained three S rankers.

Who I was fighting now.

Garen and Lux were with me with Garen swinging his broadsword by my side and Lux throwing around her luminescence spells.

I ducked under a thrust of a rapier before jumping back, even as I slashed vertically up as I spun vertically away before landing on my feet. I stumbled back a little from the force of my own jump.

"You're fast."

The human man I was fighting commented.

"Thank you," I replied. "You're durable."

The man held his left hand back, which had previously blocked my _Fleshreaver_, didn't look any worse for wear aside from a small cut. Even though a [Burn] debuff had been applied to this man, he didn't get burned or seemed to be burning.

I mean, the man's hair wasn't on fire.

I jumped forward and struck horizontally with my giant machete with a [Fast Strike].

The man took my hit to the shoulder, and skidded back.

He just stared at me for a second before the hit and the force registered.

"You're extremely fast," he added before he punched my _Fleshreaver_ away with a punch to the _blade_.

Gawking at the display of what I could say was a literal "iron skin," I put a bit of a distance between myself. "I can't tell if your a brawler or swordsman," I asked.

The brown skinned and dreadlock plenty man just grinned before he disppeared.

He was suddenly inside my guard.

I swung with my own fist with the entire spell chain already firing off. His palm met my fist, and explosion rippled through the entire area.

* * *

Lux huffed as her Lucent Singluarity, a spell she had brought over from her previous life, missed her target.

She wiped away the blood streaming down from her forehead, cuts and scratches which were made by the wind sorceress's [Wind Cutter]s. They reminded her of Janna, but much more hostile. She had tried to protect herself, but wind and light were equally untouchable elements of the world, and her enemy moved like the wind itself.

"That was close," the wind sorceress giggled. "Wanna try again?"

Lux glared. "Bitch, I'll never stop until you're dust at my feet!" she growled.

She may have been polite, patient, and practical in her last life -a combination that made her one of the inspiration of all Demacians-, but this new life of slavery and blood sacrifice has hardened her. She knew this. It was quite evident in her personality.

She spun her staff. The crystal on it glowed white before she thrusted the entire thing out. "FINAL SPARK!" she shouted.

The wind sorceress blinked before diving to the side, but it wasn't enough.

Her right leg was caught in the blast radius of Lux's ultimate spell, and seared away.

She tumbled in the ground and was about to fly away with the wind.

There was a flash, and she couldn't. "What-?!" she looked around and at herself, and saw a cage of light itself.

"Shouldn't have taunted me like that, fucker," Lux hissed before pulling out magic-canceling dagger and shoving it through her enemy's face.

The woman slumped down without even a scream, and Lux huffed again.

Now she had blood all over her. Great.

She looked to Garen and frowned.

"Hurry it up and finish it, Garen!"

* * *

"Hurry it up and finish it, Garen!"

Garen wanted to shout back, but held in the urge in favor of parrying a strike.

Like Lux, he had been a Demacian in his last life, fighting in the League of Legends. But after his death at an old age of 73 on the battlefield against the creatures of the Void, he was born into this world. Born before Lux, he lived a life quiet different from Lux. By the time Lux was born when he was ten years old to his slave mother who was raped by their owner, Garen had been beaten, bullied, and underfed. He was no longer the muscle bound warrior of Demacia but a weakling.

Lux being born changed that. After realizing that his little sister from past was now the little sister of this life, he fought back. He stole food if it became necessary to grow. He beat back the bullies (who were other slaves and sometimes freemen) until they were working under him. He gave his sister the tools necessary to excel in magic again, but it had spoiled her too.

He kinda blamed himself for his little sister's abrasive attitude.

He digressed again, a habit of his. He focused on the man before him.

The S ranker in front of him was a red drakken, and he guessed that he must be really old because he was 5 meters tall and thrice that long.

"You're quite the warrior for surviving against me for so long," the drakken complemented. "Shame that you wouldn't join my mercenary band."

"Told you already, sir," Garen smiled, strained as it was in the middle of the battlefield. "I have a debt to pay to the Ironwood King."

The drakken snorted. "A troll king in Northern Tesbalta. Very well, give me everything you have!" the drakken roared before unleashing a belching bombardmen of lava slugs.

This was Garen's trouble. He was no mage, in this life or the next, and he certainly did not have the skills of his previously life -his body simply didn't have the muscle memory of his past life. On the other hand, this S ranker drakken who was six times as big and more than ten times as heavy was a Lava Magician, and he spewed forth the blasted stuff like spittle!

Garen met the lava bullet with his only enchanted armor, his shield, and lunged forth.

"Final Spark!"

Just as Garen was about to get within his sword's reach of the drakken, he heard Lux's spell go off. There was a roar in the wind, a bright flash, and when he opened his eyes, the drakken was on the ground, headless.

Garen looked over his shoulder and glared. "Lux, what did I tell you about interfering?"

She just shrugged, indifferent to his glare. "Well, you were taking too long, and the kingy looks like he needs help."

He looked towards his king, and saw that Lux was right. While the troll king didn't have serious injuries, he was being held at a stalemate against his enemy.

"Alright, let's go help him."

With that Garen jumped through the scorched battlefield around him while Lux got ready to cast Light Binding.

* * *

I headbutted with him, and instantly regretted it.

I stumbled back, or tried to. He held me by the shoulder and smashed his forehead into my nose.

My troll nose cracked under the hit, and I fell back.

"Didn't think you were this weak," the man scoffed. "Well, I earn ten thousand gold for this, so die quickly for me, troll king!"

He pulled his rapier back.

I grunted and kicked his leg away.

He stumbled forward, and I unleashed another skill chain attack, this time on his face.

His entire body spun in place from the explosive attack.

"HA!" I laughed as I landed another skill chain punch, sending him flying away from me.

He stabilized himself midair and touched down on his feet.

"You hit hard, too... You're a fucking monster, aren't you?"

I glared at him while [Observe]ing his stats.

**[Captain Vincent Maylers**  
**LvL 155**  
**Mercenary Captain**

**HP: 5.5k/19k]**

He's calling me a monster when he has nineteen thousand HP? I'm the monster?!

I looked at my own HP and frowned.

**[HP: 311/1257.5]**

"You can outlast me, though, so what does that make you, eh?" I grinned in reply.

Maylers laughed. "Good point. Unfortunately, I have a job to do and a family to feed. Don't feel b-"

A beam of light blasted through where he stood, and all I saw was a beam of rainbow.

I just stared at the beam, nearly blinding me, and when the light died down, stared at Mayler's slightly roasted form.

He glared around to see who hit him with that beam.

I just stared at his HP.

**[Maylers**  
**HP: 4.5/19k]**

I whistled. That beam, whoever did it, just took out a whole thousand HP. I too looked around and -

"Garen? You did that?" I asked in shock. I thought Garen was a bloody warrior, not a mage!

"No, that was Lux, milord."

I paused and nodded.

Lux was the younger sister to Garen, and one of the few magicians of the kingdom that Senna acknowledged as "capable."

Didn't know she was this powerful.

"Can we fire anymore?"

"I'm out of mana!" she shouted. "But thanks for standing still, bit guy."

Maylers glared towards the source of the voice, though he couldn't see her (neither could I, which said something about the _range _of her spells), and then glanced between Garen and me.

"You know, this isn't quite fair."

I gave him a deadpan stare. "You're on the battlefield. There's nothing that's fair."

He shrugged before he charged me.

Garen charged him.

I pulled my_ Fleshreaver_ back, and struck with all strength enhancing spells chained to my arms and the sword.

* * *

I slung Garen over my shoulder even as his armor fell apart.

The battle was a close one. Both Garen and I had our HP reduced to a mere hundred, the entire area -which was once filled with shrubs, small trees, and animals- was charred and carved up by the blows of our spells and weapons, and Lux was about to faint from her lack of mana. She now rested herself on my shoulder like a child would on a big man's shoulder: with her feet dangling. Considering that the eighteen year old girl was slightly shorter than the average human height in my capital and I was some two meters tall now (I'm still growing somehow as an adult...), it worked out without looking odd.

My adjutant and the bodyguards quickly greeted me, and took the two S ranking fighters towards the infirmary.

I sighed as the healer got to work on me, ignoring the left arm whose pigment was lighter than the rest of my body.

Hey, don't judge. I had to grow that out in the middle of the battle with my [Insectoid Regeneration].

"Hopefully, they won't send anymore S rankers after us for some time," I muttered to myself.

* * *

**Part 2**

* * *

"I'm looking for this person..."

"Hello, can you help me?"

"Are there any scouts for hire?"

"No, no, no, the price is wrong."

"More booze, bitch!"

"No more booze for you for the insult, Mr. Haridan."

"Come on, woman-"

SMACK.

This was the seen that an odd drakken walked in. He was dressed only with a fur leather skirt tied with a rudimentary leather belt, had a huge X-shaped scar on his chest, had a horn sharpened enough to look like a high quality blade, and there was a pair of white wings.

To the port denizens (and the drunks of the bar) of Urenian Nevriaon's busiest port city who had seen a lot of critters, nobles, merchants, weirdos, giants, killers, saviors, normals, abnormals, and even denizens from hell passby, he was just a slightly quirkier drakken.

But he wasn't. He wasn't a drakken, and he definitely was not a denizen of this world.

His name of Hiroyuki, and as a ExVeemon from the Digital World, he was as lost as a child in Los Angelos ... at dark... just mere hours after a gank war swept through the area.

He was very, very lost, and honestly, he felt like crying.

Crying out to the heavens about his lack of luck, that is.

He had chased a murder-happy Stingmon through a portal, thinking it was going to lead to another part of the Digital World. So when he came across -and killed!- bandits who did not _shatter into data upon death_, he knew he was in a foreign world.

...

He still had a job to do, though, before he could return. He had to hunt down that bastard. There was no other way about this for himself.

* * *

**Part 3 (Fullmetal Alchemist)**

* * *

Edward frowned as he stared at the refugees moving into the Free Union.

It's been some months since the war against Galburia begun for him, his people, and his liege.

Liege.

If this happened in his previous life, he would've been the laughingstock for his teacher and friends. Alphonse wouldn't because he was in the same boat as him.

So while the troll king went out to fight and the kingdom's second in command (Shirou guy) roam the countryside to put down any rebels, Edward and the Free Union's councilmen found themselves relegated to interstate duties: refugee acceptance, listing, law enforcement, border patrol, logistics, and more.

Between the three of them (Edward himself, Alphonse, and al'Shavi) and a small company of secretaries and adjutants, it was manageable.

"Councilman."

Edward looked up from the reports he was reading through regarding the refugee camps that had been set up outside his personal demense.

Odd thing that. Demense. When he joined forces with al'Shavi for Free Union, he hadn't thought that he would be getting a personal domain or anything beyond a hefty salary.

Edward saw the secretary sway her hips in front of him. "Oi, get your butt out of my face, woman."

She pouted. "Councilman Alphonse says it's time for the weekly meeting."

"Already?" Edward groaned. "Alright, tell him I'll be there soon."

"Yes, sir."

After she left his office, he too left it.

* * *

The meeting room was a dingy place, and that's exactly how Edward wanted it. While al'Shavi wanted a more eloquent meeting room to show off the power of the Free Union -even if it was a vassal to the bigger and more powerful Ironwood Kingdom-, Edward -taking Alphonse's advice on the matter- asked that the meeting room be something more discreet. Where the councilmen (them) can avoid the eyes of the public and the spies because no one would look at their meeting room and say, "That's where they could be meeting."

After all, no one expects a meeting room behind a bloody janitor's supply closet in the corner of the Free Union Supreme Court.

As Edward entered, he saw that he was the last one there.

"Shavi, I thought you were doing the patrols this week."

The dark skinned elf waved his hand away. "The Mentor came by with his own forces, so I decided that managing the supply line was more important, which led me back to the capital after a few days."

Edward hmm'ed. "I suppose we should get this meeting moving on, yes?" he asked. "Shavi, why don't you start?"

"Well, there's no trouble on our side of the border. Reports from the Mentor's second said as much."

Edward grimaced, and the other two councilmen noticed.

The Mentor was a great person. Everyone could agree on that. However, the Mentor had an odd habit of choosing ... less like affable people to serve as his messengers.

Case in point, the "Mentor's Second."

Assigned by the Mentor himself at the end of his first month of internal rebel crushing patrols, the Scorchscale clan drakken by the name of Yosef Runerase was an abrasive man. Oh, the drakken was extremely good soldier, but he hated politicians, and hated Edward for some reason (maybe because Edward was a politician, no matter how unwilling?).

Edward simply hated him back.

Today, Edward just felt happy to not have met the bastard.

"What about your end, Alphonse?" Shavi asked.

The elder of the two Elrics (in this life) frowned. "The treasury is down to a quarter of what it once was before the war. At 5,440 gold coins in the Union's vault, we are suffering significant deficit each month. Because of this, I decided to add my demense's income beyond the necessities to bolster the treasury."

Just like Edward, Alphonse had received his own little demense. Unlike his brother, his demense was a collection of mayorship over several different cities that littered the countryside. This was after Alphonse vehemently refused to accept them from al'Shavi. Because cities produced more tax than castles (like the one Edward owned in east-central Union), Alphonse earned significantly more. To say that he was going to push his own profit into the country's funding was ... just like him.

al'Shavi was a little more greedy than that. He provided troops and funds required of him, but nothing beyond that. On the other hand, the troops he provided were better trained and disciplined than any other liege levy in Union's territory, so there's that.

"What would that make the deficit then?"

Alphonse really grimaced here.

"119 gold coins per month."

Edward did a spit-take.

119 gold coins ... per month?

He made 25 gold coins a month from all of sources of his income and he knew that al'Shavi made just a little more than that, and neither of those were the net gains!

"Wh-Ho-How the hell did it get there?!"

al'Shavi grimaced. "Refugees."

Edward frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Unlike Ironwood Kingdom, which has the luck of controlling large amount of territory, high income, sitting on top of a profitable mine, and holding the trade routes for multiple luxury goods and essential commodities for the region around it, our Free Union has none of those. So when refugees rushed in, due to our proximity and the lack of knowledge about the difference between the Free Union and the Ironwood Kingdom, the refugees are concentrating in our territory more than not. However, due to the king'd damnable decree that no refugee are to be rejected and that food and water must be provided for at least two meals a day for all refugees in exchange for putting the refugees to work, we have to provide for them while the refugees don't offer labor equivalent to their maintenance."

"So we're suffering this deficit because...?"

"Because in a nation that has maybe a million people, we just accepted quarter of a million refugees during _winter_."

Edward paled. "Oh."

Edward knew of the difference in agriculture between his past life and this one. This world was still in its feudal phase where subsistence agriculture was the main source of food and income (more former than latter). People farmed what they ate, and very few farms made more than what they needed.

AKA it was not the kind of economy that could support large number of refugees, especially during winter when food was scarce, and thus price of food was high.

"It's the food price, isn't it?" Edward moaned.

al'Shavi grimaced. "The merchants are charging nearly double the usual. That's actually what this meeting is about. We have to send most of those refugees to Ironwood. We can't sustain ourselves with that many people who can't work because there is no work to be done. We keep them here any longer than necessary, we're going to have a food price inflation on our hands."

And that's never good.

"What other expenses are significant?" Edward asked Alphonse, just to know the going-ons.

"Transportation of food and water, buying cloth for tent, and ... nothing else, really."

"Soldiers don't make up much in the expenses?"

"Not even 10%."

"Damn."

We agreed to contact the Fairy Queen of Ironwood and the Mentor regarding this.

* * *

**Interesting News around the World  
****Ruto's Year 7 + Day 10:  
(Caladrian Calendar January24th, 892 of the Fifth Era)**

*Racman Horde fractures due to succession issue to the khan position. The horde is now divided between six different tribes.

*Wuxian Union declared a rivalry war on Aegypti with the intent to completely dismantle their rival state.

*Rather than risk his entire army, Ironwood King retreated from Duke Yalveria of Galburia Kingdom and his ten thousand strong army.

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Galburian Holy War: This is the Counterattack, Bakayaro! (Ch. 106)  
Continent's Strongest Military (Chapter 106)  
GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE! (Chapter 114)**


	115. Chapter 115

_**Arc:  
Ironwood Counterattack**_

**Part 1: Dissuasion  
Part 2: Where?**

* * *

**Part 1**

* * *

**Year 7 + Day 14:  
**

I clicked my tongue in disgust.

My army had made its way out of the forest and were heading at top speed towards Agansburg. The Duke of Yalveria didn't like that, so sent another group of S rankers and light cavalry to harass me.

Unfortunately for them, the southeastern edge of the forest -where we exited from- was a hilly region, and the very trail that we used -and which the dumb fuckers used to follow us- was flanked by two large hills that made a nice little canyon.

I, of course, decided that it would be a _complete _waste to _not _trap the place.

I mean, I would be killing S rankers and the fast moving enemy cavalry in one go!

In theory, that is.

In general, S rankers were men and women of all races with decades worth of tricks and experience. The fact that someone like me, who is just putting together incompletely leveled techniques together to pump out damage, was fighting them on equal footing was ridiculous, though the numbers say otherwise.

It seemed to me that S rankers from Galburia loved Active skills over Passive skills, which was evident in the way I observed last time. With the exception of the endurance loving, nearly indestructible S ranker, the other two fought with skills only. They didn't use any of the weapons they carried beyond the most basic of ways one would expect them to.

So thus, I could also conclude that most S rankers were specialists as well. The wind sorceress, for example, only used wind-elemental magic. She didn't use any other elemental magic like I did, though she had much more proficiency with them.

Which came to my conclusion for setting up this mountain-pass-trap-dropping-boulders: S rankers may be powerful, but unless they were wide AOE specialists or survivalist, they were going to die with the rest of the troops coming through.

I nodded to myself. Yes, that was perfect.

Ping!

**[Your WIS rose by 1 due to your logical reasoning!]**

And there it was.

I supposed that at least my reasoning was sound enough to get that WIS.

"Now then," I muttered to myself as I looked over the trap. "Let's make their life bad, eh?"

"Stop talking to yourself, honey."

I grumbled and looked over my shoulder.

Candy was now standing behind me with a look that said "You-look-stupid."

After hearing about the altercations with S rankers just yesterday, Candy decided that she was going to be right next to me. I tried to dissuade her because danger seemed to be at its greatest near me, but she was adamant that she was going to stay beside her husband. She argued well on her part that despite her ranking being only A, her racial traits, that being her ability to blend in and out of shadows, kept her safe.

"What?" I asked.

"You asked me to warn you if you sound too cocky or lame. You sounded lame just then."

I grumbled.

Woman won't let me have my moment.

* * *

Captain Yotan Gotenshire was the third son of fifth princess of the Volreek Empire. As a man very far from the sitting on the throne -especially with his second oldest uncle having five concubines and nineteen children!-, he had little reason to stay in the Volreek Royal Court.

Hell, the last time he went to see his grandfather, the man forgot his name!

Yotan didn't blame his grandfather; the man was responsible not only for the rest of the empire but to be the wall upon which the disaster that was the nobility broke upon.

The latest news of the empire about this new "Maurya Empire" spoke how that effort failed.

"Captain, we're clearing the forest soon!" the lead rider, his second-in-command, shouted.

"Give me an estimate!" he shouted back against the howling winds as his horse thundered forward with several hundred others.

"4 minutes! Max 5!"

Soon then.

So yes, he was a prince of the empire, but he was a useless prince. He had no connections to speak of nor was he married to a daughter of a powerful noble. So he left the empire and became the captain of a mercenary band with his share of inheritance (from his generous grandfather). He built his mercenary band on three principles: rankers or non-rankers, everyone needed to know how to move at least fast as horses for the same duration that a horse could or know how to ride one, be capable of firing arrows fast as a LvL 1 Archer-class fighter, and be capable of lightning strike maneuvers on the battlefield on command.

To that end, his band, the Gotea Band, became infamous through the northern Tesbalta for its hit-and-run tactics. With a band of only two hundred men and women, Yotan brought down multiple battalions of armed and armored enemies. He was famous for getting a job done -if he accepted the job, that is.

Now... Yotan felt like he made his first mistake.

When the Duke of Yalveria came calling, he answered the call because he owed the duke a favor. Supposedly, all he had to do was fight an army a tenth of what the duke was amassing.

Easy job, he thought at the time.

Then a few days, he heard the report.

The three S rankers who were sent ahead were killed without inflicting significant casualties.

That scared him outright.

The three S rankers that died were those he knew well.

Wind Witch Valeria, who once struck down a thousand men with a single spell.

Drakken Warrior Gromsk "Skull Fire," who earned his nickname by burning a hundred men alive every battle. Always brought a skull on fire as his trophy.

Mercenary Captain Vincent Maylers the Steel Body, who regularly shrug off artillery spells from mages.

They were the leaders of the Maylers Mercenary Band.

And they were all killed in action without being able to kill any of the other enemy S rankers.

Valeria had 5 S rank kills. Gromsk had 3. Maylers had 9. They were monsters.

And they were slain with ease.

He was scared, but he had a job to do. He was to lead the duke's light cavalry on a hit-and-run mission, something he was familiar with.

Reluctantly, he agreed.

Now, he regretted it. The road was too silent. No traps or ambushes to slow them down.

It felt like a trap.

Then they were out of the forest.

Immediately, Yotan saw the two canyon walls on both of his sides. His instinct screamed at him to stop at cost.

"STOP!" he roared. "This is a trap!"

The duke's cavalry didn't. Not when they saw the very rear of the enemy that ravaged their country. They charged on, ignoring the cries of the mercenary captain.

* * *

I knew that I had entice them out of the canyon because there was going to be someone who was going to be smart about his survival. So I had a company's worth of men pretend to be rear of my army by flying my colors and retreat once they saw the enemy leave the forest.

I grinned as I watched the rest of the cavalry ignore what I assumed was a mercenary -he had different coat of arms- and ...

"Alright boys," I grinned to the men and women manning the boulders. "Drop it on them."

The first boulders that were dropped closed off the entrance and exit of the canyon.

I cackled as the rest of the boulders dropped on the screaming, shrieking, and desperate men.

* * *

Yotan gawked.

Of the three hundred light cavalry with him, there were now only seven left.

"Holy shit," he muttered to himself before looking up at the edge of the canyon walls.

And met an arrow for his trouble.

* * *

I fired off five more Bomb Arrows and watched as the rest of the pursuers die. Couldn't have them reporting back to Yalveria so quickly, eh?

A spear flew out of the forest for my neck, and I parried it with my hand. The spear, a monstrous thing twice as tall as I was and as half as thick as my head, flung away, and struck one of my own soldiers, impaling him from head to crouch and into the ground. I winced. "Crap," I muttered to myself before peering at the forest. "Yeah, that's definitely a S ranker," I muttered to myself.

"Move out!" I ordered before turning to Garen and Lux. "We got more S rankers coming in this time. Be ready to kill one upon sight."

Lux saluted smartly while Garen nodded.

I turned back to the forest.

"Come on, who's there?!" I roared before unleashing [Rain of Fire]. Fireballs formed in the sky by the dozens every second and then fell upon the forest. The fireballs immediately caught the dry forest on fire, and the entire area was lit with a raging firestorm. "Come out, come out!" I shouted. "Come out before you burn to death!"

Five figures jumped out of the forest at the base of the canyon, some thirteen meters below my own position.

Without hesitation, I projected a quiver of Bomb Arrows and a bow, and unleashed ten of them.

One of them brought his staff up, and a barrier formed. My Bomb Arrows exploded on it, and covered the group in a cloud of black smoke.

Lux didn't wait. She threw her AOE light spell, instantly clearing the smoke, and then unleashed her strongest spell.

"Final Spark!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, and I watched as the beam of light crash into the S ranker group's position.

Dust cloud and dirt flew up into the air.

I waited with more Bomb Arrows ready to be thrown.

Then I saw them.

They emerged from the other side of the explosion, away from the forest fire that I started.

Without even waiting, I unleashed a continuous barrage of Bomb Arrow.

* * *

"We're gonna burn to death if we stay in here!" John shouted as he dodged another falling fireball.

Their adventurer group who had joined Duke Yalveria had been late to the party. Michael had to take a shit, so they fell behind the cavalry. When they caught up, though, they saw a massacre just outside of the forest. John, a Artillery Spearman (Level 2 class), launched a surprise attack.

To everyone's surprise, the troll in lead just ... batted John's spear away. A spear heavy as a tree, mind you.

Then he unleashed Rain of Fire upon their position.

The wizard of their group, Huey, couldn't help but be awed by the display of magical power. "Rain of Fire... A S class elemental magic! Not even my elven teachers knew this spell! I've been trying to find a spell book for -"

"Huey, be at awe later, because if we don't get out of here now, we're screwed!" Matthew Regaldman, the leader of their little adventurer group, shouted.

"Look out!"

John tackled Huey away from a falling burning tree trunk, and the two of them rolled away.

"We have to get out of here," Susan, their healer, growled. "If we don't die from the fire and the burning forest, then we'll going to die to the heat. We'll be roast in here."

They nodded to each other and they all ran out.

Only to be greeted by the troll king who nooked those explosive arrows he used to take out the remaining vanguard.

Huey didn't waste any time. He cast his strongest barrier magic, Shield of Blue Ares, and watched as ten of those arrows smashed into the barrier in the span of a single second and then explode.

Smoke and dust clouded their vision outside of the barrier.

"He's an archer?" John gawked. "How the hell did he shrug off my spear then?!"

Then there was light. A sphere of light rested on Huey's barrier, and the five of them just stared at it for a second before-

Something crashed into Huey's shield.

It broke.

It missed... kinda.

Huey hissed as he clutched to a stump of his right arm.

"Shit, get out, get out!" Matthew roared as he slung Huey's remaining arm over his neck and dashed out.

It took them five seconds of running to be free of the dust and smoke. They emerged in the valley, where dead horses and horsemen were strewn about. Most were crushed under giant boulders while others were still alive, trying desperately to get whatever limb was underneath a boulder out.

John's face paled before quickly drew one of his spears from his back and launched it in the enemy's general direction.

Huey didn't even care about himself and threw up another Shield of Blue Ares.

Susan cast High Gods' Blessings, a wide area healing spell.

Matthew dropped Huey and pulled out his tower shield, blocking the rest of the group as his tower shield's enchantment, Fortress Shield, took hold as he slammed the shield into the ground, and produced an additional, one-way barrier around them.

The barrage of arrows rained on them.

Future looked bleak.

* * *

Ten seconds later, I stopped and looked to my right.

Garen had caught whatever had been thrown at us, and it was another one of those spears.

I looked back at the S rankers that I had pinned down.

And then whistled in appreciation.

They were still alive!

... Wait, there's only four. Where's the fift-

CLANG

I looked over my shoulder, and saw a elven girl with auburn hair. She was dressed like a ninja and had a dagger scrapping at point against my Aegis Shield's automatic defense. But hell, my mana drained by a hundred points! Whatever she was trying to do was strong, and could've been fatal for me.

"Hell, lil' lady," I grinned.

She paled. She jumped backward, but I caught her ankle before she could escape.

Then with a mighty tug, tossed her from the ledge towards her friends below.

There was a snap. I think I broke something of hers.

She flung like a cartwheel in the air before their healer -I assumed- caught her using some kind of cushioning magic.

I now looked closely at the S rankers at my mercy.

Aside from the girl I just threw, all of them were humans, and looked less than fifty years old. Hell, the youngest looking one of them all, the healer, looked like she was less than twenty years old!

_I wonder how bad of a trauma I could induce if I killed her friends in front of her one by one ..._

I shook my head. Bad Ruto, bad! That's your [Cruel] trait trying to take over!

_... It could be fun, though._

Stop it!

Ping!

**[Resisted Cruel urges. 45% of Cruel trait being removed]**

... Ping!

**[Failed]**

Ah man. I suppose I should resist my Cruel urges more?

I focused on the S rankers again. 'Damn my attention span today is short.' Their armor and weapons were ragged after having survived my continuous barrage. Hell, the tank-looking guy's shield was just gone! The parts that I could see were embedded in his own body after being blown up. The rest were probably scattered around.

Their magic though... I wanted it.

"Attention, S rankers under the employ of Duke of Yalveria," I drawled, and all five of them looked up at me. "You have proven yourself interesting, so I'll give you one chance to surrender. Refuse, and I'll kill all of you one by one after torturing you for months on end."

There was a gasp around me, and I looked around.

Wait, what did I just say?

... Ah, shit.

Ping!

**[Cruel trait strikes again! General Opinion of you has changed by -5]**

Well, crap.

"Well?" I shouted. "Give me an answer in a minute. Try to run, and Ill take that as a refusal."

The S rankers looked among themselves.

"W-What will happen to us?" the brave youngest asked me, straining her voice to reach my ear from so far below.

I smirked. "Oh... I don't know. Be forced to teach my people your techniques, be fed properly, sleep on a nice comfy bed. You know, something more than just rotting in a jail cell."

* * *

Susan paled.

"H-He wants to make me a concubine, doesn't he?" she stuttered.

"Hell n-!" Matthew growled.

John slapped his hand on Matthew's mouth.

"Where did you get _that _idea?" he hissed to her.

She blinked. "He just s-said that we're going to be treated well. I'm just a weak healer. There's no way that I'm going to do anything useful b-besides w-w-warming his ... b-b-bed..." she hiccuped.

John smacked her.

"Ow!"

"Listen to yourself. A healer not being useful? You probably have the most value between all five of us. I doubt he's going to force himself on you if it means losing your service as a healer."

"...B-But he could threaten the rest of you."

"If you're looking for someone really useless," the last of their group, the Assassin-class (Levl 3) Jennifer, grunted. "It's me. I also doubt the troll will go for a human concubine when he just caught an auburn elf."

Everyone fell silent at that.

It was true that auburn haired elves were extremely rare. So rare that despite her status as a S ranker Assassin, slavers and nobles tried again and again to enslave her for their pleasure and prestige.

"J-Jenny...!" Susan sobbed. "We should'n't h-have taken this j-job."

Matthew grunted. Unlike most mercenary groups, he was captain in name only and on the battlefield. Jobs taken as a group was voted on, and everyone voted to take this job. There was no one to blame for this situation but themselves.

"On one condition!" Matthew shouted.

"Yeah?" the troll asked.

"No one will lay their hands on our girls without their permission!"

"...Oddly specific condition, but it's a deal! I, Ruto of Ironwood Kingdom, accepted the surrender!"

Everyone paled.

They just survived the "S ranker Killer" Ironwood King?

Susan fainted on the spot.

* * *

Candy raised an eyebrow. "They have pretty dirty minds," she remarked. "I mean, I wouldn't have thought of that when capture is imminent."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah. It's not like anyone could touch me."

I scoffed. "Of course."

* * *

**Part 2**

* * *

Senna sighed as she bounced the little girl in her arms again.

The princess of the kingdom, Irowa Ironwood, was crying once more.

"Mama! Mama! Mama!"

Unfortunately, her Mama was out in the front line. She's probably cackling as she slew people by the dozens each battle.

"Dada! Dada! Dada!"

Unfortunately, her Dada was also out in the front line. He was probably moaning about his [Gamer] ability being a dick to him even as he rained literal hell upon people.

"Irowa, did you finish your homework?"

Troll children grew up fast. While human children at her age (2 years old) may be left alone at daycare to play, Senna was not going to let that happen to her "niece." While Ruto and Candy were gone, she began to instruct the girl on how to read and write. Her awareness was about as established as a eight year old human girl's own, so Senna didn't spare her the unnecessary coddling.

So when she felt the girl in her arms freeze, Senna narrowed her eyes.

"... Irowa, you didn't do your homework, did you?"

The little troll girl slowly looked over her shoulder. Her face paled.

"I-... I'm sorry."

Senna grinned. "It's alright. It just means you'll have more to do tomorrow!" she replied cheerfully.

The servants later recognized Princess Irowa's "Study Screams" being rung throughout the East Wing of the palace.

* * *

**Interesting News around the World  
****Ruto's Year 7 + Day 20:  
(Caladrian Calendar January24th, 892 of the Fifth Era)**

*No news is good news... Kinda?

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Galburian Holy War: This is the Counterattack, Bakayaro! (Ch. 106)  
Continent's Strongest Military (Chapter 106)  
GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE! (Chapter 114)**


	116. Chapter 116

**M I saw that some of you were rather put off by the "I'm gonna get fucked" scene with the S rankers. The mindset behind this will be explained in this chapter. I did not just put that there for shits and giggles or for real life political reason -as one of you PM'ed me about. **

**Please understand that **

* * *

**Arc:  
Ironwood Counterattack**

**Part 1: Deliberation and Contemplation  
Part 2: Jauney's Kingdom**

* * *

**Part 1**

* * *

**Year 7 + Day 22:**

With the capture of 5 S rankers, Yalveria's pursuit staggered for a bit.

Perhaps it was the shock of having a chunk of their S rankers blown to kingdom come or captured by what they considered an inferior army.

For whatever reason, their indecision to continue to bite at my heels allowed me to slow the march of my own army, because everyone was exhausted from marching thirteen hours everyday for the past week. It also allowed me to divide up the army for the oncoming battles. The division was done to pick out the right people for the right job.

It took me a whole day, but I divided up the army into three battalions.

The 1st Invasion Battalion was composed fast-moving hitters and saboteurs. A lot of the Nes'Giorgca Fanalis ended up here as well as archers and the few gunners that we had. They were to perform hit-and-run strikes and harass Yalveria's supply lines. Due to the size of the enemy, taking them on directly was a suicide. Hitting their supply lines and starving them, though, was something we could easily do. In fact, this was a tradition of the Ironwood Kingdom!

If we can't fight them directly, we starve them.

The 2nd Invasion Battalion was composed mostly of trappers. They were to lay traps to slow down and kill any Yalveria and other Galburian troops following us.

The 3rd Invasion Battalion was everyone else not needed. They were sent back to Agansberg as fast as they can move. Their job was to resupply, freshen up, and gear up for battles to come.

"Sir."

I nodded to the 1st Battalion commander, Garen. After capturing the S rankers, I assigned Garen the position as the commander of the 1st Battalion due to his abilities and speed. The man may be wearing armor thicker than mine, but he moved pretty fast on the battlefield, and he didn't have any of my skills to give him his speed.

Impressive? Of course.

Lux had been assigned to be the commander of the 3rd Battalion, which also had the captured S rankers with them. I assigned her there for her abilities as well. Not only was she a heavy hitter, but she had movement locking abilities. In essence, she was the perfect warden for the powerful prisoners. I also gave her command over the Highlanders, who were mostly A and B rank now. If the prisoners did attempt escape, the Highlanders would be able to recapture them.

As for the 2nd Battalion, I gave the command of it to Candy. With her were many of my veteran soldiers from the Shkifield Pretender War, the men and women who laid down hundreds of traps to wipe out supply caravans and the like.

And now, they were laying traps for the pushing Yalverian forces.

As for me, while I did give Garen the command over the 1st battalion, I was still the king and the top military leader, so I took over. I also had my own small platoon that I led into battle directly.

"Do you see them?!" I shouted our scout.

The scout in question, a drakken flyer, came swooping down and landed behind me. He knelt on the ground on one knee with his head bowed. "No, Your Majesty. Not even a speck of them has been seen by I or any of my brothers and sisters."

I frowned.

"How far have you been able to scout out?"

"Ten kilometers, Your Majesty, as you instructed."

I nodded. "Have you checked our flanks as well?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I see... Very well, take your scouts and give them some rest. I'll be sending you out later again."

He didn't reply. He just saluted and left.

I contemplated on the situation. Yalveria had sent hundreds of men after me with S rankers. Sure, I killed all of the light cavalry, killed 3 S rankers, and captured the other 5, but surely there was more to it than this?

I mean, I would. If sending S rankers didn't work, then I would send an entire army -everything I could scrounge up, really- and send them. Yalveria was supposed to have more than I could manage, and I knew that-.

…

Right.

I knew that I was outnumbered.

Yalveria _didn't_.

I facepalmed.

Unlike me, Duke of Yalveria was probably not a [Gamer], which means he got no quests and information fed to him through the [Gamer] abilities. He was effectively blind!

And what did I do? Beat the shit out of his vanguard to the point that _there was no one left_. No wonder he was hesitant to come after me as quickly as possible with that big of an army; as far as he was concerned, my army could be bigger or I had more S rankers in my possession.

.. On that note, to Yalveria, it must seem like I killed all of his S rankers. None of the cavalrymen he sent with the S rankers on the second pursuit lived to tell the tale, so he was blind.

Damn, did I really overestimate this? I mean, sure, I am a SS rankers (by mine, Shirou, and few others' estimation, but also on the lower end of that ranking), which means I should be able to take on a few S rankers by myself.

This also left me with another question.

Why send S rankers and huge group of cavalry to scout my troops out, then? What was the purpose? Why not just send one or two people to scout? Why hit me first?

…

Guess I won't be able to answer any of that until I actually talk with him, which is unlikely.

I turned to my adjutant/secretary. "Tomorrow, have the scouts go directly into the Yalverian territory to see what's happening. If they find any enemy army, they are to retreat and report."

The adjutant bowed slightly. "Yes, Your Majesty. As you wish."

* * *

When he received the news, Count Jotunschiff was shocked.

Unlike Yalveria, he was much more versed in the art of war. He actually considered it a personal failure for not being able to drill into the duke's head concepts like "balance," "debt management," and "spying" when the said duke was a ward of his house.

So he had sent his own men to follow the duke's cavarlymen chasing the Ironwood King. Of course, he only sent three men, because any group larger than that would be spotted easily either by movement, sound, or just simple size.

They just reported back to him that the duke's vanguard had been smashed, and the five S rankers had surrendered to the Ironwood King.

"So you mean to tell me," Count Boligomus, a fellow vassal under Duke of Yalveria, asked. "That our liege lord bankrupted himself and has nothing to show for it?"

"Indeed, this is a harsh news."

"Perhaps it's time that we took over the liege lord's title...?"

Boligomus didn't even look at him when he said that. Instead, the man smiled.

"One gets the title, other gets the land?"

"Of course," Jotunschiff smiled genuinely. "It's how we've always worked, is it not?"

* * *

**Year 7 + Day 24:**

The scouts came back yesterday, but because I was sleeping, I had waited to hear their report until today morning.

So I sat in the command tent of the 1st Battalion, and waited.

The scouts, three drakken and one Greater Fairy, entered the tent. They bowed to me.

"Your Majesty," they spoke as one.

"At ease," I told them, and they straightened their back and looked up to me. "Well, tell me what you saw out there."

The scout captain, the smallest of the drakkens, stepped forward and bowed slightly before rising back up. "Captain Winterclaw, sir." I nodded. "My scouts and I went out roughly thirteen kilometers northwest of our army's current position, sir. In doing so, we came upon a small hill with many a tents erected and defensive measures in the form of stakes and pits made around the camp site. We took a closer look at the flags being flown, and confirmed that the troops there belonged to Duke of Yalveria.

"We estimated that there was roughly fifteen to eighteen thousand troops."

I frowned. That was different from the twenty thousand I had been expecting. I only killed a few hundred when the cavalry came by with the Brightstone Adventurers.

"... Did you see other flags there? Perhaps mercenaries?"

"None," Your Majesty.

"I see... Very well. Have the day off."

They bowed and left.

Garen was there, standing to my right as soon as the scouts left.

"This is different from what you warned me, Your Highness, but no less welcome."

"It is welcoming, but confusing. Why would my ability give me a wrong warning?" I asked out loud.

Perhaps it too was confused? It is possible that Duke of Yalveria was merely travelling together with another army that was heading towards the western frontlines.

"... I suppose. But some of the cavalrymen we killed a few days ago did carry some mercenary logos."

"They did, sir, and the adventurers confirmed that there were more than twenty thousand troops in Yalveria's army."

"...Well, it's possible that he ran out of money."

Garen raised an eyebrow. "How does one run out of money as a duke?"

"From what we gathered, the duke hired at least 9,000 troops as mercenaries, and mercenaries -regardless of their training- always cost more per person than levies or those of professional army."

Garen didn't speak for a few seconds before his eyes drooped. "Sir, are you saying...?"

"Yeah, he got scared I was coming his way and spent all of his money without thinking about _lasting impacts of such an action_ and he's now bankrupt because his duchy can't support that many mercenaries. Hell, our kingdom would be bankrupt too if we hired that many mercenaries. I wager that his troops are going hungry right now."

"... Sir, isn't this a great chance to strike at him then?"

"It is... but it could also be a trap."

"How so, sir?"

"Our scouts saw that of the twenty-four thousand troops they should have at minimum, six thousand or so were missing. This doesn't necessarily mean that the mercenaries left his service. If the duke was a smart man, he would have not just used his own treasury but convinced others to contribute to defending their territory. Of course, I reitterate that that would be the case if the duke was a smart man.

"If that was the case, then the duke didn't lose six thousand troops; that's six thousand troops we haven't found."

I shuddered a little.

I only had maybe eight hundred troops with me. If those six thousand decided to strike, then we should suffer heavy casualties, regardless of the fact that I was here.

Oh, we'd win, but if even half of the troops here died, then that would be nearly eighth of my entire army gone.

That's a no-no, not when I am in the middle of what was certainly a long-term war.

"Then we don't have enough information to attack?" he asked.

"Yeah. Go order the scouts to do mroe thorough search of the area around us, around Yalveria's, and between our two camps."

Garen saluted and left.

I sighed.

"I can't bloody tell if Yalveria is a bloody fool or a strategic genius, and Gamer refuses to tell me."

Ping!

[Intrigue is not high enough].

I raised an eyebrow. If I remember correctly, [Intrigue] was culmination of skills and traits that bettered my information gathering skills. "How much Intrigue do I have, and how much do I need?" I asked.

Ping!

[Current Intrigue: 8  
Needed Intrigue: 10]

"Well damn."

I looked Intrigue's math calculation and gawked. WIS, INT, and CHA were added and then divided by a fucking _100 _and then powered by 4/5, and finally rounded up or down to closest integer.

"Welp, I ain't improving that Intrigue anytime soon," I muttered to myself. Then my eyes widened. "Or do I?"

I did have nearly two hundred extra points I could dump into something. If I distributed them between the three categories required by Intrigue, then I could get the Intrigue needed.

The question was then this: should I?

* * *

****Year 7 + Day 40:****

After waiting for the scouts to do a more thorough mapping of the area, I came to a conclusion.

The six thousand that left?

They actually left. Apparently, my first guess about Yalveria being an idiot was correct.

I had sighed quite a bit. It was both relieving and disappointing.

Relieving in that my men and women in arms were not going to die by the hundreds by a random ambush.

Disappointing in that outside of deceased Countess of Agansburg, there didn't seem to be anyone who was capable of thinking militarily. Was I asking for too much in hoping for a decent enemy commander that I could fight against?

...

Probably.

I keep on forgetting that this kingdom was one based on human sacrifice and whatnot.

"Everyone ready?"

As for Yalveria, apparently, he had fought off his own subordinates' treachery between the time I got my troops to his side of the forest.

Surprise, surprise! Outnumbered and outarmed as he was, Yalveria actually won and then executed his vassals!

Unfortunately, this also meant that he now had less than eight thousand troop count.

Something I could easily lead my people against.

I called back the 3rd Battalion a week ago, and now we sat here.

Ready to reap.

"Archers!"

I pitied the men fighting for their liege below.

Starving.

"On my command!"

Hopeless.

"On 3!"

Haggard.

"2!"

Tired.

"1!"

Unprepared.

"FIRE!"

This would have been a very different story if I had stubbornly held my ground against what was a monstrous army compared to mine.

I watched as a spectrum of twangs echoed around me and throughout the forest.

I watched as the flaming arrows lit up the night sky, and came down on Yalveria's camp. The entire outer edge of the camp caught fire as one.

"And fire at will."

I lazily drew Fleshreaver and waited for the stragglers to leave the doomed camp.

I certainly was not going to get some of those bonuses from the quest, but I didn't mind.

There were plenty of people to kill anyway.

* * *

**Part 2**

* * *

Life was ... fun.

It really was.

He never felt a liberating sensation like ... this!

Meat! Meat as far as the eyes can see.

Human meat as much as he would devour.

His Grimm tossed the bones into the swamps, but all meat came to him.

Meat, meat, meat!

An endless supply of _meat_.

* * *

**Interesting News around the World  
Ruto's Year 7 + Day 40:  
(Caladrian Calendar January24th, 892 of the Fifth Era)**

*Yalveria backed off from attacking Ironwood King after losing 8 S rankers. On top of that, his treausry couldn't withstand the weight of the mercenaries he hired. Without pay, most of the mercenaries left the duke's service, leaving the said duke in debt, penniless, and with only a ragtag army. This still leaves him with sixteen thousand or so troops, however, most of which are of his own levy and that of his vassals'.

*Galburian forces to the south have been demolished in the Battle of Yatan-Guhl. The defending Galburian garrison at the fort of Yatan-Guhl was faced with nine army groups consisting mostly of mercenaries hired by Tyronia. The reinforcement that arrived to help the fort, an army group the same size as that of the mercenaries, were soundly defeated as well. This battle saw the participation of thirteen S rankers.

*Rumors of a fiefdom of demons are abound in Aksol Plains (everything south of Yoal Kingdom, east of Arulia, north of Ganbandan states, and west of State of Chuvim. Refer to map).

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Galburian Holy War: This is the Counterattack, Bakayaro! (Ch. 106)  
Continent's Strongest Military (Chapter 106)  
GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE! (Chapter 114)**


	117. Chapter 117

**I saw that some of you were rather put off by the "I'm gonna get fucked" scene with the S rankers.  
**

**... Seriously, guys? This is a medieval setting where people grow up thinking the next war is going to fuck them over. Where the average education level is "I know how to dig up dirt" for 80% of the population on average across all nations, barring a few like Republic of London and Kingdom of Caladria. For people like these, being raped, looted, and pillaged is part of life. **

**It's part of the _expected_.**

**...**

**Anyway, yeah, I've been gone for some time. I've got finals too, you know?**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

**Arc:  
****_Ironwood Counterattack_**

**Part 1: Turn of the War**

* * *

**Part 1**

* * *

**Year 7 + Day ******43:****

It was a few days after I wiped out Yalveria's main force that I engaged a smaller force of Galburian contingent who had somehow been heading away from me, and yet had been behind me. The route they had taken while fleeing from Yalveria's camp -or leaving because the paycheck wasn't coming?- used forests, which hid them from the prying eyes of my scouts.

It didn't end well for them.

To my surprise, I ended up LvLing after that particular one-sided battle.

I really love my archers. I truly do.

Also, the [Get the Fuck out of There!] quest was completed and I received a lot of the bonuses, even though I had thought that I failed them. In hindsight, it made sense. I had thought that I needed to take them on the battlefield, but the quest never stated that outright. I could just snipe at them until they died, and the quest would've accepted that.

... Which is eactly what I and my army did.

With the quest complete as well, I gained three LvLs total since Yalveria joined the war.

However, new problems popped up for me.

Since the start of the war, Galburia apparently had neglected most of its peasant population. And by neglect, I mean no trade, forcibly increased tax, levies taken so far that _villages can't farm_, and so on. That's not mentioning what the local nobles are doing already on top of their usual antic.

Fuck, seriously, once I take over the area, I'm burning the lot of them!

_Ping!_

**[Cruel trait has forced a promise out of Gamer]**

**[Quest: Burn the Nobles**  
**If you take over the area, you will follow through with your promise.**

**Requirement:**  
***Burn between 10~15 nobles who committed heinous crimes**  
**or *Burn the entirety noble population of whatever territory you take**

**Reward:**  
***1) +1,000 ~ +5,000 Gold gained personally, +5,000 ~ +10,000 Gold added to kingdom's treasury, +25 opinion with [New Land] General Population, -5 opinion with [Old Land] General Population, +1 Demense added to personal fiefdom**  
***2) +10,000 Gold gained personally, +20,000 Gold added to kingdom's treasury, +50 opinion with [New Land] General Population, -10 opinion with [Old Land] General Population, +5 Demense added to personal fiefdom.]**

"Fuck you!" I roared in anger.

The soldiers around me jumped in fright and ran away.

_Ping!_

**[Wrath is harsh! -5 opinion with [Soldiers of Ironwood Kingdom] for 1 week]**

I grunted. That wasn't as bad as the new quest. It was only one week long.

But seriously, [Cruel] was becoming _extremely _inconvenient now. Forcing actions and quests on me. I was no longer control of all my actions, goddamn it!

I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. There was no need for me to get angrier over the issue. Just letting myself cool down would -

_Ping!_

**[Cruel trait failed to take action! Next action receives +10% chance of failing as well]**

Sweet. It worked.

* * *

**Year 7 + Day 51:**

"DAMN PEASANT REVOLT!" I roared at the top of my voice.

So, apparently, the situation between the Galburian nobles and peasants was a bit more serious than I had assumed.

As in, half of the peasants were starving, and they had turned to "killing the local nobles for revenge and to raid their mansion for food" kind of serious.

Now, I had decided when I first got the quest [Burn the Nobles] that I wasnt going to take the second option. After all, the first option was something similar to what I've already done to the conquered lands of Kan and Revyola, so it wasn't necessary, even if the extra gold and personal land was welcome.

What was bad was the fact that if the nobles -the current administrators of the territory I _occupy –_ went to shit, then administrating this land until the end of the war was also going to be shit.

I sympathized with the peasants. I really did and still do. But mindless violence was a big no-no.

Which led to me stationing more soldiers to garrison cities.

Which made the peasants even more angry.

This was then compounded by the fact that war had driven a lot of those peasants into the cities, where they gathered and gathered and gathered ... and gathered .. until...

Until they rose up in revolt.

'It was an organic movement,' I thought. 'The city that we're staying at can't support refugees on such a scale, and my own army was being barely fed to my satisfaction.'

Yup. In essence, war led to exponentially negative conditions, which led to refugees, whom piled up in cities, leading to cities running out of food, causing food prices to spike, and finally accumulating in hungry peasants by the thousands inside a city that would not let them buy bread.

Yeah. It was bad.

As in "10,000 peasants rose up in revolt in the city I had taken over" bad.

They weren't disciplined or armed well, but, as they said about stuff like this, quantity was a quality of its own.

They were just hungry peasants, but I seriously wanted to crush them all.

No, instead, I ordered my soldiers to use non-lethal methods.

Particularly, clubs, shield bashes, kicks, punches, and the like. Blunt force trauma, Senna would call it.

I ... tried to stay out of it. I could control my strength, yes, but my WIS kind of told me through alert system that there was a 10% chance that every time I swung, something might distract me and result in me losing control of my own strength.

Not exactly a good chance, right?

So I stayed out. I allowed the soldiers and anyone below A rank to deal with the messes.

But in my reluctance, I had allowed the peasants to break through the lines of soldiers, who had been ordered to _not _harm the peasants beyond the necessary. Instead of showing them mercy, this made the peasants probably feel as if they were about to do something.

An illusion granted by my own decision.

And now?

Well, they were storming the central manor of the city, where the ruling noble resided.

Where I resided.

I still maintained my order for blunt force, though, and I took my chance with 10% death rate.

I punched lightly, and grimaced as the peasant I struck nearly flew back.

A pitchfork struck my rib and did nothing.

I just quirked an eyebrow, and broke the pitchfork with my hand. Then flicked the human who struck me with it on the forehead. He fell over, completely out of it.

My hands just itched to draw some blood, which was why I was shouting instead.

"Get the hell out of here, you ungrateful dirty dipshits!" I cursed while still maintaining a light jab and flicker combo.

Whoops, that guy's dead. See?! Too weak!

"..." I paused as an idea hit me. "What the fuck am I doing? I should've done this from the start!"

* * *

Victor was a hungry man. He was once a nice man, but hunger tends to push such trivialities to the side, especially when he had a family to feed.

So despite the common sense that attacking the noble was a bad, bad idea, he charged in with his neighbors.

And was promptly met with a very giant, very scary, and very strong troll.

The troll toyed with them. Cussing at them for ruining his day. Cussing at them for a lot of things Victor didn't understand.

It flicked its finger, and John went down for the count.

It jabbed, and Miller was screaming in pain.

Then it stopped.

"...should've done this from the start!"

... Done what?

_That was when his heart nearly stopped_.

It was an overwhelming feeling. His body froze up like the rivers and lakes during winter. He fell to his knees like he did before a noble. He gagged as his own lungs stilled and refused to breath.

And all the while, there was a heavy, touchless weight upon him. It was so heavy and squashing.

He was going to die.

He was going to die.

Hewasgoing to die.

Hewasgoingtodiehewasgoingtodiehewasgoingtodiehewa-!

Then it stopped.

His lung worked again, and drew in a painfully sharp but sweet air.

He collapsed.

"See?! Easy peezy! Best way to go about it! Just knock 'em out a bit with this-. Guys?" The troll walked over to its mercenaries, who were also in similar position as Victor and his peasant friends. "Ah fuck, seriously? None of you could resist it, either? We're definitely traini..."

Victor blacked out.

* * *

When he woke up, he was in a cell.

He nearly cried.

So he had been caught in the act of assaulting a noble's house.

There was only death for him, if he was lucky. If he wasn't, his family would be killed with him. At the absolute worst, they would be sacrificed to live an eternal unlife as the souls within the grasp of Ankh.

The thought of his son and daughter having to go through that broke him.

He sobbed.

Then there was a creak of cell's bar doors opening.

He looked up, and glared hatefully.

"Time for you to come out," the soldier, an orc, said. "Time to walk, eh?"

Again, the crushing depth of the consequences of his actions struck him. Listlessly, he stood up and walked out.

Others were doing the same. He saw Miller. He saw John. He even saw Emile.

He had seen this before. Criminals and sacrifices were forced to line up and were tossed in the Blood Cauldron of Ankh.

Sacrifices.

They walked.

Slowly.

Lifelessly.

And...

...

...

That's not a Blood Cauldron. We're not heading towards th-

No. What greeted Victor was not a Blood Cauldron but a pair of mighty doors of the city.

'Oh, so we're not even worth being sacrifices? They're just going to behead us and put our heads on pikes for all to see?'

He and his fellow prisoners walked out.

And ... again, nothing he expected was there. No crowd, no pike, no executioner.

Instead, there was a line of peasants like himself, each line in front of a stand with bags behind the stall man. Each of them had a cloth bag. Well-sewn cloth bag too. And they were all ... receiving something at the stands.

The orc soldier came up and ... released him.

"You're free to go."

And just like that, he left.

"W-Wait!" Victor called out to the orc.

An orc. God, what was the world coming to? An orc in Galburia as a soldier? It must be the invading army, which meant that the city had been captured when he and his fellows attacked ...

What the hell was going on?!

The orc soldier stopped and looked back at him. "What?"

"W-Wha-What do you mean we're free to go?" he asked calmly as he could manage. "We just rebelled-"

The orc grunted. "I know, right? If this happened in Yoal-Cohkman Empire, not that they are an empire anymore, you lot would've been fed to the cockboars without even a glance."

"Then...?"

"The king decided to merciful, even after _you lot struck him_."

A pause.

And Victor paled.

The troll. The troll at the noble's manor.

The rumored infamous Ironwood King.

... And he had been spared?

"...Why?"

"Our king is generous and benevolent. He does this thing a lot. First time offenders, as long as you haven't killed or looted in greed, are allowed to walk free after some time in jail. Happened to me once too. Got a bit too desperate for food, and got caught. *snort* Yeah. Anyway," the soldier waved his free hand around, not letting go of his spear. It was then Victor noticed it. The orc's armor was nothing like the worn leather armor that nobles provided. It was high quality like what the sons of well-to-do merchants wore. "The king is also giving out grains for you lot, so you better be thankful. Just don't expect it a second time."

Victor didn't stop there, though. He had a family to feed. He was a smart man. One bag of grain wasn't going to support him or his family for long. Soon, they will be starving again.

"What about after-?"

The orc stopped him with a raised hand. Then he pointed to the farthest stall from the gate.

There was an odd sign there and a flag. A black triangle on a green background...

"Immigration is open to all. If you lot are having a hard time living here, the supply caravan is willing to take workers and their families back to Ironwood Kingdom. There, the administrators will locate you a place where you can work in peace."

Victor looked at the soldier and then the stall.

"...Why?"

The orc laughed. "Beats me."

He watched the orc soldier walk away, who muttered something about releasing the next batch of "rebellious peasant scums."

Victor looked to the stall.

There was hope.

* * *

**Year 7 + Day 65:**

As the sun rose up over the horizon, I walked out onto the balcony of the Duke Pimonius's former manor in Pimonius City.

I watched the fifth group of immigrants leave the city with the supply caravan. Riders went ahead of the caravan to alert the border states, cities, towns, and whatnot. They were to make sure the refugees were sent to the Ironwood City, where they would be processed. Food was to be provided, and the kingdom would pay for it.

...

Ugh, Senna was going to blow up on me, even if Shirou would approve.

Such is my life.

It wasn't exactly out of benevolence, though.

Out of the 10,000 or so peasants, 9,700ish peasants had survived the riot. An unexpectedly high casualty rate, but it was far better than what my highly educated officers from various noble families and merchant families said should have happened.

To me, those 9.7 thousand peasants was a burden here.

However, they were also a potential gain for the kingdom. By moving that many people, I would free up the cities here of the burden, and thus they would thank me and be more happy with my occupation and thus fewer spies and revolts, and the peasants would go to mines, farmlands, and fisheries where they would be productive. If they were skilled, weaveries, distilleries, potteries, blacksmiths, forges, and administrations would have more workers. It would take a bit of training, but hey, people lived a long time compared to a week or a month.

Yes, to me, those 9.7 thousand peasants was a gold mine. The farms around Ironwood City alone would benefit from having even half of that number around. More food for the city, no? The mines under Ironwood City were under the Dhan'Thal Clan's jurisdiction so far, as far as hiring and managing went, but I suspected that they would be open to hiring.

The mineral needs of the city alone were soon to outstrip their capacity if they didn't.

Now, that's only concerning Ironwood City.

I know for a fact that the treacherous nobles were raising their levies against me, which Shirou was putting down. This meant a loss of workforce out in the fringe provinces of the kingdom, and a loss of workforce meant less production. Less production meant less tax. Less tax meant less tax going to law enforcement, like armies, police, and administration. Less of those meant more trouble.

And I didn't want trouble.

Once the war is over, I will have to send my most loyal and incorruptible surveyors and recordkeepers to ensure that the new population of workers was settling in, and people, in general, weren't suffering anymore.

"How are things with the Free Union?" I asked my adjutant, who stood behind me on the balcony.

The man flipped through a few papers before reaching what I assumed was his thick book of notes.

"They are disgruntled, sir."

I quirked an eyebrow but didn't look back at him. "How so?"

"Refugees."

"Ah."

Unlike my kingdom, Free Union didn't exactly have to follow my laws down to a tee. Just the general set of them. Refugee was where one of those general sets did not apply. Their border cities and towns were already flooding with refugees, and I just sent like ten thousand more.

Of course, they were going to be disgruntled.

"Stability of the Union?"

"Good, sir. It's unlikely that there will be too much issue. However, they are requesting aid in the form of either money or food to feed the refugees and their own populace."

"See it done."

"Of course, sir."

"Anything else of note?"

He looked over his notes before clamping it shut. "A news carrier arrived yesterday between midnight and dawn while you were sleeping, sir. Apparently, the western frontier for Galburia has collapsed."

I looked back. "Oh?"

"It seems that one of their high ranking generals, one Dienstardt Anhalt, rebelled. He took with him fifteen thousand troops, 100 A rankers, 4 S rankers, and used the corpses of the once-comrade army to raise giant monsters. Our analysts are labeling it as 'abomination' and assigned an automatic A rank for its size."

"Hmm... And spies in Monmouth."

The adjutant narrowed his eyes.

"They are planning to betray us."

"How?"

"They desire for us to push into Galburia territory, and when we are focused on Galburians, they intend to cut us off from our supply line."

I grunted. Smart. That's what I've done to Shkifield.

_If you can't beat them by sticking 'em with your sword, you go for their food._

"I also suppose this news came...?"

"Yesterday, sir."

I nodded. "Let's go check out their army's movement with the commanders."

* * *

**Interesting News around the World  
Ruto's Year 7 + Day 65:  
(Caladrian Calendar March 1****st****, 892 of the Fifth Era)**

*Ironwood King successfully quelled a peasant revolt in Pimonius City.

*Dienstardt Anhalt, the highest ranking general of Kingdom of Galburia, rebelled against his own kingdom, laying waste to thirty thousand troops and their demon pets... and then used their corpses to make his own demon pets? He is now on a warpath against the Kingdom of Galburia, and many believe this to be the end of the longest standing kingdom in mid-eastern plains of Tesbalta since the Nation of Alma.

* * *

**(Chapter + Interlude + Extra Info End)**

* * *

**Current Quests:**

**Galburian Holy War: This is the Counterattack, Bakayaro! (Ch. 106)  
Continent's Strongest Military (Chapter 106)  
Burn the Nobles (Chapter 117)**


	118. Chapter 118

**Thank you all for messaging me about the "bold-print" issue.**

* * *

**Arc:  
_Imperator 0.1_**

**Part 1: Broken Pacts  
Part 2: The Turn (Arthas's POV)**

* * *

**Year 7 + Day 100:**

I grunted. "So he really intends to betray us so soon?" While I knew that it would happen, I didn't think that Duke of Monmouth would strike at us so soon. When I met up with him to make pledge to our alliance, I got the hateful vibe from him, which became only more pronounced when I demanded an alliance promised upon our Contract Emblems.

Now, the duke wasn't moving, yet, and that was because he was preserving both his resources and his army against me. He made no move to claim more territories or push the claims his children had on neighboring provinces.

Instead of doing those, which would have furthered himself, he put his army on standby for the end of the war, so that he could attack me on my return from victory.

Essentially, he wanted to ambush and kill me.

I scoffed.

As if he could.

"Yes, milord," the spy in front of me replied. She was a human who came into my service a peasant refugee fleeing Galburia. It was odd that she chose to be a spy so early after joining my troops, but I didn't argue. My [Observe] told me that she was loyal to me for giving her power. "I heard this directly from the duke's own mouth." Again, I loved this girl. Her class, [Sunlight Spy], rendered her invisible where sunlight could reach. She could be standing in front of Shirou, and Shirou wouldn't know until he walked forward.

Hell, even I couldn't see her if she really decided to disappear.

I smiled as I stood up. "Thank you again, Sabrina. Go get yourself some well-deserved rest before tomorrow."

She bowed deeper and disappeared into a vanishing motes of light.

See? I can't see her, but kudos on her disappearing act.

I pondered on this new information.

Technically speaking, if I decided to attack Monmouth right now, then I wouldn't be breaking the alliance sworn on our Contract Emblems. After all, Monmouth was right now gathering forces to attack me, and thus I could argue that he had already broken the pact.

Alas, I don't know how the Contract Emblems will see this. They aren't sentient things. They were more like part of the very land that I stood on. Would they count intent as breaking part of the pact if members of the pact like Monmouth decided to act on that intent?

I would have to prepare contingencies. Perhaps...

"Sabrina, are you still here?"

She reappeared a moment later where she first vanished.

"I am at your command, milord."

I grinned. "After you take your break, come back to me. I have an assignment for you."

* * *

After Sabrina left, I called the commanders into the meeting room.

We were all still staying at Pimonius City, so we actually had a secure meeting room, which was good for us.

I waited as the commanders trickled in, and once everyone arrived, I grabbed their attention from their chit chats to myself by clapping my hand thrice.

"Everyone is here, yes?" I looked around. I already knew they were. "Good. Now, I called you here today to discuss a few things, but I'll start with the biggest of them." I paused. "Duke of Monmouth is planning to betray us."

A pause.

A bit of confusion.

Recognition.

Outrage.

"Oath breaker!" Garen roared as he shot up.

I raised my right hand up, a call to silence. They answer with silence. "I am angered like all of you regarding this. How could I not be? However, we cannot simply turn our forces away from Galburia to strike at Monmouth. Not yet, at any rate. The small size of our army is our disadvantage right now. We cannot separate without drastically reducing our power base."

* * *

Lux hummed as she listened to the boss.

Boss was right like always.

Lux knew that her new nation had drawn the short-end of the stick when it came to conventional warfare. The Ironwood Kingdom had conquered too fast without building up infrastructure to support a nation of their size once they were done with conquering. As a result, the said kingdom had less than tenth of the army they should have had.

On the other hand, Ironwood Kingdom had ten times the number of rankers to any other nation, so there's that.

Because seriously, 10 S rankers and ten times that with A rankers? That was just fucking insane, and her king just treated that fact as if it was "normal."

"Normal."

Lux wanted to laugh when she first heard that term be used to describe Ironwood Kingdom by her own king.

She wanted to tell him that no kingdom was as diverse as his was. That no kingdom was so progressive. It reminded her too much of Piltover but on a national scale. It was a nation that sought so much progress but, at the same time, reflected too little on itself.

It made enemies. Enemies who dismissed their progress. Enemies who were afraid of their progress. Enemies who were simply racists.

When she saw that short fucker that was the Duke of Monmouth, she just knew that he was going to pull something like this. Even before she left Galburia with her brother and many others during the civil war, Duke of Monmouth was known both for his generosity and racism. He was a good ruler to humans only. Anyone who wasn't a human could go and die for all he cared for. He tossed all orcs, tauren, trolls, drakken, and even elves into his pit mines.

So obviously he was going keep his promise to a _troll _king.

She scoffed mentally.

"... So that's the reason why we will be strengthening our forces in the territories we are occupying and nothing else. We won't be moving forward."

She nearly jumped out of her seat. What?! Were they stopping here? When the enemy capital was so close?!

"Well, you lot are," her king grinned. "But I think I can cause a bit of an issue for them by myself, eh?"

A pause.

And then she joined the others in their attempt to shoot down her king's suicidal tendencies.

* * *

**Year 7 + Day 110:**

Bored.

* * *

**Year 7 + Day 115:**

Local bandits attacked towns under my occupation thinking that they could swarm over the few troops I stationed there. All of them are now dead.

* * *

**Year 7 + Day 120:**

News arrived from the Galburian western front. One of their general revolted, and turned one of the major battles against the Galburians.

* * *

**Year 7 + Day 125: **

Galburians are falling back to their "heartland," which is a term used to describe five provinces landlocking Galburia's capital province and city.

Discussed this with the commanders.

After much discussion, I decided to take Garen, Lux, and Candy with me to join the attack against Galburia's capital. Lux and I will serve as the long range artillery while Candy and Garen will ensure our safety.

... Not that I really need one, really.

* * *

**Year 7 + Day 132:**

"We're here."

In the seven days it took us to get to Galburia's capital, the Alliance of Tyronia, Somberas, and Iop'Arge had broken through the defenses and were laying siege to the capital city itself.

And it was impressive.

The capital city was a massive thing. Unlike any other I've seen, it was a city that rose up as a whole rather than out.

At the center of the city stood a spire leading up. It reminded me kind of the City of Galiz, which used to be the capital city of the Duchy of Nanamos before I came along and demolished it. Why did I do that again?

... Right, they kept on bothering me and my people. Kept on sending mercenaries even when I told them to quit it.

I looked over the city once over. Galiz was a very happy city. It had happy colors like yellow, orange, blue, and green decorating the city interior. The capital city of Galburia, unoriginally named Galburia City, too was colored in similar schemes but with an overdominating red over the entire place.

... You know what? No, Galiz and Galburia City were not similar at all. For one, Galiz didn't have _fucking humans crucified _to the walls around the city, powering whatever enchantment was carved into their body and the walls surrounding them.

It was a sick city. From where I observed, the people ignored the pain and misery around them, and even laughed in the face of it.

... Galiz, I would describe as ignorant.

Galburia City, I would describe as decadent.

There was no saving the people within it. They too had been corrupted in mind and body, regularly sacrificing one of their slaves to their god.

If there was Capital of Evil, this city would be it.

But I waited with the three I brought with me. A quick [Observe] showed me this about the city.

**[Galburia City  
Capital of Kingdom of Galburia  
Throne of Ankh**

**Population: 322,191 (17% slave)  
Major Income: Tax  
Major Expenditure: Slaves**

**Defenses:  
Garrison: 20,000  
Garrison Magicians: 300 (average: low B rank)  
Magical Barrier: 10,000,000 BP (55% resistance to all forms of damage)(Requires 100 sacrifices every week)  
Magical Barrier Regeneration: 1,000 BP per second. +10,000 per sacrifice  
Siege Weapons within walls: Arbalest, catapult]**

Even if I were to pump out everything I had and fired it together with Lux, the shield wouldn't even budge. It was a fortress city that made Ironwood City look like a country bumpkin. Even the latest shielded city I took down, which was several years ago when I was attacking Duchy of Kan, didn't have as much barrier strength. Even then, I just kind of dug under.

Something told me I was not going to be able to have a successful repeat of that.

So I waited for the enemy of my enemy, because once they lay siege to the city, they had to run out of people to maintain their barrier.

And once the barrier goes down, that's when I will strike at them with everything I had. To put an end to this monstrosity once and for all.

...

And to gain some land, but eh. Priorities change.

* * *

***NEW CLASS INFO***

**Class: **SunlightSpy (sometimes called Inquisitor by theocracies)

**Class Tier:**2 (Rogue Sunlight Spy)

**Description:  
**The best way to describe a Sunlight Spy is to say that they are the Light's shy children who hide whenever strangers come by.

**Common Spells/Techniques:  
[Light's Veil] –**allows user to hide in broad daylight. Only +15 Intrigue or specialized decloaking spells/skills can pierce this spell.**  
[Blade of Light] –** coats any chosen blade wielded by user with a 5 centimeter thick layer of near invisible and colorless light. Not only does this spell extend the range of the weapon, any enemy struck by the [Blade of Light] receive Fire and Holy damage. Very useful against undeads in general.**  
[Flash] –** "BAM BITCH. You blind now. Imma come close to you and shank you soon." Creates a tiny sphere of light (1 cm radius) at the center of user's palm. Detonating this sphere causes a bright but harmless flashbang. Extremely useful for close quarter combat and escape.**  
[Cleanse] –** normally, this spell is the purview of priests and healers. Heals user's target (including user) of any abnormalities. Limited to one target per cast. Strength of spell dependent on INT, WIS, and piety to the Path of Light.**  
[Flashstep] –** though many share the name, the [Flashstep] of the [Sunlight Spy] is a true teleportation that works ... well, once a day. This spell allows the [Sunlight Spy] to be anywhere the light shines. This also means that this spell doesn't work at all during the night.

* * *

**Interesting News around the World  
Ruto's Year 7 + Day 200:  
(Caladrian Calendar July 18th, 892 of the Fifth Era)**

*Grand Duchy of Sarang has declared war on Duchy of Marcos(May 10th, 892 of the 5th Era)! Duchy of Marcos has called upon its ally, Duchy of Hakaning to the war.


	119. Chapter 119

**Arc:**

_Imperator 0.2_

* * *

**Part 1: The Fury of Righteousness **(or, journey of a paladin from Iop'Arge)  
**Part 2: Exchanging Hands** (Breaking out of a Galburian slave camps)  
**Part 3: As They Wait** (or, how Ruto applies his favorite tactic into a strategy)

* * *

**Part 1**

This was a religious war as far as the commoners were concerned. The kings and nobles may move their armies according to how they want to crush a rival, but to those like himself, it was a war to end a heretical regime of a pseudo-religion.

Yifen Movar was a boy who grew up in old Kingdom of Galburia. This was before the Galburian Civil War ripped the once mighty nation apart. As a boy, he grew up resenting Ankh, the priests, and the nobles. Why?

Well, his mother was a concubine to a noble, and when that noble got the "sign" to start a sacrifice, he did so by sacrificing Yifen's mother in a sick and twisted sex sacrifice ritual that killed her. Yifen grew up hating anything related to Ankh. He ran away from his sperm donor's home and territory to a hidden monastry teaching the people the Way of the Light.

He became a convert and soon, a guard of the monastry. He learned the purification rituals, the divine healings, and the protections of a truly benevolent god.

When the civil war came, he rose up to serve the local duke who wanted to do away with Galburia and Ankh.

In less than two years, that duke married a duchess and formed a new kingdom, the Kingdom of Iop'Arge.

Now, he served his liege lord as both a representative of the Church of Light within Iop'Arge and a commander. And he was assigned as one of the four commanders to lead the vanguard.

In the first days of war, mere weeks after he had been assigned the position of a vanguard commander, he met his first enemy.

It was a small scouting party led by a demon-summoning sorceror. Instead of withdrawing, the bloodthristy Galburians struck into his command and tore through the supplies. He ran to the back of the line and fought against the demons and their masters with a fervor his God gave him.

However, it was for naught. The Galburian scouting party did its job. Crippled and now discovered, the advances of the Iop'Arge slowed.

Then, a week after they were discovered by the scouting party, the Iop'Arge vanguard was met with the main Galburian army. Hastily, they set up their infantry and cavalry. Mages were alerted and spells were cast.

The Galburians charged.

Oh, but that was where everything went to hell.

As far as his vanguard was concerned, the main army had come to them a week after they fought each other for the first time in the war, but the Galburians had sent their demon summoners ahead in advance. And those summoners, seeing the Iopians turn towards the main army -and thus away from them-, unleashed hell on their undefended backs.

It was a slaughter.

Out of the five thousand men and women in the vanguard, only three hundred made it back.

Battles like those became the norm. The Galburians slaughtered their enemies with trickery and falsehood, always controlling the flow of information and action. The alliance of Iop'Arge, Tyronia, and Somberas could not stand up to the onslaught. Thankfully, though, the Galburians didn't march straight to Iopian capital, but instead marched into Tyronian territory (after taking a huge swath of territory).

After the fifth major loss, the war turned to their favor.

Their leading commander rebelled. The rebel general unleashed multiple Great Hell Blizzard, a S+ spell that Yifen had only heard of in obscure magical texts and fantasy tales of great wars of good and evil.

He scoffed.

Now that he thought about it, wasn't this war a great war between good and evil? Galburians had raided, looted, and enslaved their neighbors border towns for centuries. They sacrificed their slaves to their bloody god. They waged war for no reason other than slaughter, and left ethnicities extinct in their rampage.

This was justice being served not just to rescue the slaves but also to avenge their ancestors.

Yifen was happy to fight for Iop'Arge.

Back to the rebel army, it devastated the Galburians. He led the right-minded Galburians into battle against the rest, and put them down like the dogs they were with grand spells, steel, and cunning.

If he ever got the chance, he would like to meet this man.

The war was now going smooth for the alliance.

Already, they had reclaimed the territories occupied by the Galburians and were pushing into their territory.

Well, they would be. They had one more battle to do before that would come through.

He stood besides his king and surveyed the fields. Iopian army stood in the center with the Somberans to the left and the Tyronians to the right. It was a mighty army with more than sixty thousand men.

On the other side of blue grass plains was the Galburians. Their neon green armors and red stripes stood out like a sore thumb from the background. They had as much men as the alliance, but they were also backed by their demons. Some were giant, bigger than the giant Tyronian kodos or the automaton walking Somberan towers, and the latter two were known in the battlefield for reaping men like wheat before the scythe.

He shivered. He wondered how many men would die today at the hands of those demons.

As far away as he was, Yifen saw many details of the demons. They weren't uniform, which was the norm for the demons. Some were thin. Some were huge. Others were fiery, coated in black fire. The rest weren't. But the one that stood out above all was the demon in the middle. Bigger than its own kin, it stood perhaps 15 meters tall. Its nine eyes roamed the battlefield and its hands -hands that could easily completely grasp a tauren (the tallest of the races that the alliance fielded)- repeated squeezing the releasing.

It was an unnerving sight. But perhaps what was worse was its necklace. Decorating its chest and neck were a string of roped men, women, and children. They were also all alive. And occasionally, the red skinned, nine eyed demon would reach and take a bite out of them.

His right cheek twitched as the demon did exactly just that. It was almost as if he was being taunted.

His king looked to the Supreme Commander of Somberas and the Royal Blue General of the Tyronians. They nodded.

His liege raised his hand.

And let it fall.

The drums rolled.

The bellows rung deep and loud.

It was on.

* * *

**Part 2 **

Smartz yelped when the Chief Warden of the prison camp brought his whip down on him. Smartz tumbled down.

"Fucking goblin! You will give me and the rest of the humans the respect we deserve!"

Smartz growled silently.

He was from the White Cliff Mountain Goblin Clan. He was one of the numoerous green goblins, one of the Monster Races that inhabit much of eastern Galburia. He knew that he was smarter than most of his brethren, which is why his name was Smartz. Of course, compared to most humans, he was normal.

Apparently, that had been enough for the Galburians to spare him while slaughtering the rest of his kin.

They took him to this prison camp and put him to work, just like now.

"Smartz will obey," he said out loud.

The Chief Warden, a fat human with a ridiculous hair, grunted. "Good. Get back to work, filth."

Without complaining out loud, Smartz stood back up on his two feet and dragged his oversized pickaxe towards the mines.

His prison camp was called the Lifwaffen Prison Mine. Smartz was smart, even among the average races. He saw that obeying the human guards up front while stealing their food behind them was the way to survive this prison. If you failed to do either, you died, former by sword to the neck and the latter by starvation.

Smartz grimaced as he held the pickaxe closer to the head and chipped at the rock before him, acting as if he found something.

That kind of trick worked at Lifwaffen Prison Mine. It was not a coal mine, thank the skies, nor a quarry, thank the earth! Unlike most mines, it was a gem mine. Shining things that had no good use as far as Smartz was concerned. But the humans loved them, and they forced others like him to mine here.

So he mined.

Sometimes, he would find something and get a bit more morsel (a quarter of a bread loaf and another cup of water for the day) if he took it straight to the Chief Warden.

"ENEMY!" one of the guards shouted.

The Chief Warden, who had barely walked away from where Smartz was (obviously expecting good Smartz to get him something soon), quickly sprinted away at a surprising speed for his size. "Get the mages to fortify the walls!" he shouted to the guards, who ran to alert the said mages.

Smartz watched them for a bit along with the rest of the prisoners.

He saw a few guards leading the prisoners away.

Smartz... grinned. He turned to his inmates.

"Thinking what Iz thinking?"

They looked at him.

"No," Smash the half-Rock Elemental (half-elf) replied.

"We breakz out of coz!"

Smartz was smart. Breaking out when every single guard was occupied was the best way to break out. He grabbed his pick and looked to the nearest guard. The said guard, a human, was jogging over to the concentration camp's armory. The armory in question seemed to be locked from what Smartz could tell.

Of course, this meant one of two things.

One, the soldier would go and find the door locked and go somewhere else.

Two, one of soldier's obviously jingling keys may be the key to the armory lock.

Smartz liked to think that he was smart enough to know that the soldier knew half of what he was doing; he obviously didn't know exactly everything about what he was doing, because he just turned his back on Smartz and Smartz's inmates.

"GET HIM!"

* * *

The lock opened on the fourth key. Smartz's minio- friend threw the locker door open.

And in it, Smartz saw freedom in the forms of weapons.

Cold steel weapons and armor.

"Arm youz all!" Smartz shouted as he ran into the armory and grabbed himself a pair of dagger. As much as he liked the idea of heavy things on him to protect him, he was smart enough to know that he was too small for any of the sizes in this armory.

But he did grab that tiny human's helmet. That had to count for something.

"Where to now?"

Smartz blinked and looked up.

Smash was looking to him.

"Wut?"

"Where to now, Smartz? You thought of this. Lead it to the end."

Smartz blinked and blinked before he just realized what happened.

He got his own Clan here (however temporary). He was the leader.

He grinned. "The fat warden headed west. We go east."

Smash grunted. "Sounds good enough."

_Smartz and Smash led a 15 inmate breakout of one of the most infamous slave camps of Galburia. He would later go on to become a mercenary captain. _

* * *

**Part 3:**

**Year 7 + Day 160:**

"I think we need to do something."

Garen stared at the speaker, and then I realized I was the one who spoke. I also realized that Garen was giving me a flat stare that spoke screamed, "No Duh."

We, Garen, Lux, Candy, and I, have been camping on the densely forested hill overlooking the capital city of Galburia over three weeks now. I was bored, Candy was bored, and Candy was bored. Only Garen was content, and that was because he didn't want to fight right now.

Something about wanting a cooldown time between fights and a league of neverending warfare.

Lux deadpanned at me. "About fucking time, oh great leader!" she replied in her usual high pitch tone, though her speech right there was a notch lower. Her lack of respect, something I let her getaway with only because her brother was the one who punished her in my stead, -case in point, he just slapped the back of her head and said "language"- was not without cause.

Lux confied to Candy (who then told me in less personal terms than Lux used) that she wanted to fight. She needed to fight. She believed that her brother thought of her need to fight, something almost pathological if I was right, was a quirk.

Unfortunately, Lux may have been born a sociopath. I've seen the way she stares at others.

There was something ... lacking in her. Her gaze was deadened when she was not talking with her brother. That sparkle she seemed to possess bled away faster than a man cut open in half.

Even right now, she giggled and played with Garen, perfecting reflecting how a teenager like she should act.

Candy trotted into the camp. "Garen, your turn!"

The man nodded solemnly and stood up. He gave Lux one more warning stare, and she returned it with a tongue sticking out. He left after that.

It happened.

Candy and I watched as Lux's face blanked out and even the minor sparkle in her eyes died like a star being put out. What was left in their place was something only an elite infiltrator could truly appreciate.

Even her speech pattern changed when she spoke up next. "I do humbly request an outing, Your Majesty. I do feel quite a need to hunt."

I nodded. "If you so wish, but only as long as there are no large civilian populace that would be damaged by our direct confrontation with the Galburian forces."

"Of course, sir. Your desire to keep the innocents and bystanders out of the fight is admirable."

"Lux, stop being so cold~" Candy whined as she glomped Lux from the side. "It's a little scary."

Lux didn't even fidget. "Please stop hugging me, ma'am. Your D-cup breasts are intimidating me."

Candy backed off and put her fists on her hips. "I'm only a C-cup, Lux."

"To a B-cup bordering on A-cup like myself, C and D-cups are no different."

I facepalmed.

"Can we keep this dicussion for another time? I do not wish to explain to Garen why his sister was openly discussing her cup size with my wife," I grunted.

Candy pouted.

Lux nodded.

**Year 7 + Day 161:**

We found nothing.

**Year 7 + Day 164:**

We heard that a northern Galburian noble was sending his meager army to support the war against the Alliance. He was expected to go through eastern Galburian Heartland. They were also carrying a shipment of slaves to be sacrificed once they make it to the front.

We agreed to strike them down.

**Year 7 + Day 170:**

We found them. Setting up ambush.

**Year 7 + Day 171:**

Galburian Heartland was a humid and hot place. Perfect for farming, not so for living. The swamps in southeastern Heartland was where the army was skirting by rather than directly moving through it. It was a sensible move. Moving a huge body of bodies across a swamp like this -I grunted as I adjusted the bush of leaves on top of me- was a stupid idea. Disease and temperature alone would wipe out a significant portion of the army even before they left the swampy place.

Fortunately for us, it also meant that we didn't have to camp out in the middle of the swamps and just on the edge of it.

"This is fucking itchy," Lux grumbled from my left.

Garen, who looked like a bush, smacked the back of her head. He too was irritable like Lux, and Lux's language issue seemed like a reasonable excuse to smack his sister.

"Language," he grunted.

"Coming."

Candy was the only one _not _in bush costume. This was because she was using her Vashta Nerada lineage ability to blend in with the shadows. I, who was right next to her, could barely make out her form.

And just like she said, they were crossing the road right before us.

They seemed more professional than any other Galburian armies I had seen in the past (and decimated). The rhythmic march of their feet pounding on the ground as one and the way they were better armored and armed ticked me off that there was something wrong here.

'[Observe],' I thought mentally, looking at one of the heavily armored and armed cavalry in the front of the column of this steel wrapped army.

**[Kyle Armimeister  
LvL 47**

**Calculated Stats against My Skill-Less ATK and DEF  
ATK: 25  
DEF: 30  
DGE: 3%]**

Well, okay, that was new. So they can do damage to me. Okay.

...

Wait.

They can do damage to me that _wasn't _1 or 2.

15?

And they had a chance of dodging my attack, however low it was?

'[Observe: Detail].'

**[Kyle Armimeister  
LvL 47**

**Title:** Duke Franksteinfurt's Elite Heavy Cavalry (+10% reputation gain)

**STR:** 217  
**DEX:** 90  
**END:** 184  
**INT:** 83  
**WIS:** 70  
**CHA: **60

**AMR: **Enchanted Frankstein Cavalry Armor Set (Prevents One-Hit KO, Prevents Weak Poisoning, Prevents Weak Stun, -300% Piercing taken, -51% Physical Damage taken, -5% Elemental Damage taken, + 3 m/s max spd)  
**WEP:** Enchanted Frankstein Cavalry Lance (+200% Piercing, +13% Physical Damage,+50 Physical Damage per 1 m/s), Enchanted Franksten Longsword (+76% Piercing, +50% Physical Damage, +33% Parry Chance, +100% Durability, +10 Fire Damage per strike)**]**

I blinked and blinked again.

That was some heavy shit. Like fuck.

If my army fought this army of ... 1,200, my army would be wiped out on the spot.

Hell, I don't think it was a good idea to ambush them now.

"Fall back," I hissed quietly.

Lux and Garen looked at me in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Candy whispered into my ear.

"One of you will die if we fight these guys. Fall back. We strike them from long range." And dear Lord wasn't that something I found relief in; this army of over a thousand barely had any archers or any other long range attacker for that matter.

Just like that one lady baron (... who was that again?), this army was overly specialized, but not in a way that made them easier to fight in close quarter melee.

Now, this left me at a conundrum. Should I warn the Alliance about this army or leave them to their own devices?

* * *

_A/N: I intended to have Twilight Tower, one of the OC nations submitted long ago, to meet with Ruto to discuss alliances, but after thinking about it, I came to a decision to overturn that intention. Twilight Tower, from description given to me, was not a conquering nation; they were refugees. Their closest neighbor aside from Galburia is Grand Duchy of Sarang and Free Union. To that end, I decided to make Twilight Tower an ally of Ironwood Kingdom via being allied to Grand Duchy of Sarang. Kind of like how Japan was pulled into WWI because Britain, Japan's ally, was in WWI against Germany (ignoring all other causes)_

_By the way, in your review, tell me whether or not I should alert the Somberas-Tyronia-Iop'Arge Alliance about the Franksteinfurt Army. This will affect the overall movement of the plot, so choose carefully. _


	120. Chapter 120

**Arc:**

_Imperator 0.3_

Part 1: Enemy of my Enemy is My Temporary Friend

**AKALLASVONAEROK**

**Part 1:**

**Year 7 + Day 175**

In the end, I decided to alert Galburia's other enemies, but this decision came after much internal and external debate.

The [Gamer] told me that they were the following:

Kingdom of Iop'Arge, who prided themselves in being non-Galburian, even though they are a union of two Grand Duchies who broke away form Galburia. They were also the second-most "liberal" of the four Galburian enemies (after my own kingdom, of course).

Somberas Republic of Unity and Power, a republic made for the sake of, the prosperity of, and the joy of nobles. They were the ones who lost the least in the war and also the one to take the least amount of reward; their reward was that they crushed their long time rival.

And lastly, Tyronia, a nation where tribes and clans of Taurens set up a military-junta-esque kingdom. The king was a figurehead who assauged and soothed the commoners while a council of nobles, generals, admirals, and big merchants ruled with an iron fist. Having just felt rebellions ravage across their own nation, they were extremely hostile to any force not of their own or of their allies'.

As far as I was concerned, these nations and their situations were ... useful.

Iopians were likely to take my offer at face value; they knew that my kingdom was at war with their enemy. They wouldn't think of my offer of intelligence as anything other than what it was.

Somberans were less likely to do so. Their nation was a nation for nobles, and what was their day job? Lying and cheating. Maybe not, but the local trend in both my territory and Galburian territory suggested otherwise. They might take my intelligence but they may also not believe it. Paranoid bastards, basically.

Tyronia would move to check out my intel, at least. They were military-minded; they wouldn't take the intel at its face value right away until they could check it out for themselves.

With these kind of leaders at their head, it was likely that they would believe my intel. So with that thought, I decided to inform them.

Ping!

**[Quest: Meet, Greet, and Tell!**

**Description:**

**You have found the infamous Franksteinfurt Elite Cavalry! Armored and armed in enchanted metals, they are one of the fierciest fighting forces that Galburia can field at any time. Fortunately for many of its enemies, Galburia had been unable to field them until the two wars it had found itself in had put its heartland at risk. Thus, the King of Galburia ordered Duke Franksteinfurt to field his troops. They now march to fight the bigger of the two threats that Galburia seeks to contain.**

**Pre-requisite:**

***Inform the Iop-Somberas-Tyronian alliance of the Franksteinfurt Cavalry heading their way!**

***(Optional 1) Provide detailed information of Galburian forces successfully opposing**

***(Optional 2) Take out some of the Galburian contingent fighting the alliance to boost your standing with them. You must kill at least a division's worth of infantry (5,000) or several rankers.**

**Reward:**

***+10,000 EXP, increased standing with Iop'Arge, Tyronia, and Somberas.**

***O1: +further increased standing**

***O2: x2 EXP gain against Galburian forces until the end of the war]**

I stared at the quest, having somewhat expected it unconsciously (because it honestly did not surprise me), and then stared at the reward for Optional 2 pre-req.

Double EXP gain for the duration of war. Fuck, just for that, my decision to inform the alliance cemented itself as a very good decision.

"Guys," I said as I stood up. "Prepare to move within the hour."

Candy blinked and then grinned. "We're travelling far?" she asked.

I nodded. "How'd you know?"

"You had that look. It's kind of a anticipatory grin. You have that when you meet someone or something new, and since we've been pretty busy with everything around us... the only conclusion is that we're going to travel somewhere far from here."

I gave her a grin.

She shrugged. "I am your wife, Ruto. I haven't exactly been idle outside the bedroom."

**AKALLASVONAEROK**

**Year 7 + Day 176:**

Early in the morning, we began our journey to the Triple Alliance, as Garen named them.

Our route was to follow the road without being seen. The reason for not wanting to be seen, as I explained to them, was that if we are seen and are identified, Galburia may dedicate significant resources to ensure our death. Considering that we are also very close to Galburian Heartland, we would be trapped, especially if they decided to muster up as much S rankers to our capture or execution.

To that end, we did follow the roads, yes, but we kept just slightly off of them. With my [Mapping] skill providing the way from multiple existing maps we stole, we followed the roads at a leisurely pace, but fast enough to outpace the Frankstein Elite Cavalry.

By leisurely, it was really just me grabbing all three of my escorts and jumping around.

Garen did not appreciate being reduced to a sack of potato.

Lux was unconscious after an hour of travel.

Candy was abnormally scared.

Did they never go this fast?

"NO!"

Guess that answers that question.

AKALLASVONAEROK

Year 7 + Day 178:

Fortunately for my companions and wife, Duke Franksteinfurt seemed less than inclined to reach the battlefield as soon as possible. Hell, his elite cavalry was trotting along at infantry slow marching speed, effectively killing off any form of mobility advantage cavalries are supposed to have.

On one hand, I understood it. From the tidbits I got from scanning his army while I was racing(jumping) ahead of them, I got the feeling that the duke of the most awesome cavalry in all of Galburia was less than enthusiastic about said cavalry's participation. What I understood here was that Duke Franksteinfurt was a noble like any other noble. He understood Noblesse Oblige and acted beyond what Galburian religion and culture called for in the care of the people beneath him. At the same time though, he was a noble. Asking him to give more than he had already given the state was against the feudal contract that all nobles make with their monarch.

At the same time, the duke understood that without his cavalry, the nation was going to more or less lose both of the wars it was fighting. He also knew that if he leveraged this just right, he may gain a lot of political power. Perhaps even some land should his cavalry achieve absolute victory over the enemy.

Their "absolute victory" was not probable, but not impossible. Even without S rankers among them, they were simply too well armored, armed, trained, and skilled for B rankers that most of them were. They might not win against a military outnumbering them 10 to 1, but 2 to 1 with the backing of cannon fodder infantries?

Victory was within a comfortable reach.

...

Speaking of which, Duke Franksteinfurt left his duchy unprotected. If Carpathi does well in engagement and ambushing, they may be able to lay siege and completely take over the northern provinces.

'[Shadow Clone],' I mentally commanded. A single clone popped up in front of me, nodded, and ran off in the opposite direction.

Lux, who was all too happy to have her feet on the ground, looked at me and the shadow clone, which was fading fast into the horizon. Seeing the question in her mind, I explained. "Duke Franksteinfurt, the one who owns that chillingly awesome but terrifying elite cavalry, seemingly forgot to reinforce his defenses of his home duchy before his departure. So I sent that clone to tell our Carpathi allies a chance for their own conquest to south."

"Why?"

I took a deep breath in. I didn't like to talk down on my first ally, someone who may have kept Galburians from outright declaring war on him in the early days. However, Lux was trustworthy. She wouldn't talk things to them.

"Truth of the matter is, Carpathi Kingdom refused to take active role in this war."

"...Okay?"

"They told me that they were too short in manpower or in funds to actively help our war."

"That makes sense, right?"

"...Except they lied."

_He was back in his palace office, looking over the endless stream of paperwork. Today was one of those odd days that he didn't mind the work; it kept him busy. Unfortunately, today was also the day that his merchants travelling to and from Carpathi Kingdom was reporting in their taxes and whatever tidbits of rumors and real information they got (for a price, of course). _

_So, he did what was essentially a paperwork cheat._

_He gathered all of the relevent papers together, tied them into a one giant stack, and touched it._

_[Would you like to learn "Carpathi Kingdom: Most Recent Financial Report"?]_

_[Yes or No]_

_It was kind of like learning from a book except this was an application not of his power's base mechanic but a utilization of [Observe]._

_[Observe] allowed him to ssee the details of things, even when done on paper. If he used [Observe] on a report, he would get a summary of the report with important bits highlighted with more relevent and important details standing out with more WIS and INT he had. _

_He called it [Paperwork Summary]. It wasn't an actual skill, since he defaulted to using the his base power mechanics to work, but it was a useful utilization, nonetheless. _

_And so, he pressed Yes and waited for the paperwork to disappear._

_[Carpathi Kingdom has experienced a boom in economy to the point that the royal family is investing in many productive ventures with their own funds. They have heavily invested in R&amp;D, Mining, Urbanization, and Trading Companies. It is expected that Carpathi Kingdom has spent more than ten thousand gold pieces to this venture. By the end of the next decade, they will have grown their national GDP by 57% to worth three hundred thousand nine hundred gold pieces. In comparison, Ironwood Kingdom would have increased its GDP by 49% with current rate of growth to a total of two hundred ninety thousand five hundred seventeen gold pieces. This, on top of devastation of war, famine, and rebels Galburia has and is facing, will pull away the economic dominance Kingdom of Galburia has experienced for hundreds of years in mideastern Tesbalta into the hands of Ironwood Kingdom and Carpathi Kingdom.]_

"... In essence, Daniel was less than truthful about his kingdom. By allowing them to attack a moderately defended duchy that Carpathi should not have been able to breach, we either call them on their lies or they stick to their lies and allow a rather juicy territory to escape their grasp."

Lux stared at me. "Wow, boss. Didn't know you were a savvy politician."

I scoffed. "I'm not politician. I'm just a king calling out the lies of another king." I took a look around. Everyone was staring at me. "What?"

"That is exactly what a savvy politician does, honey," Candy remarked. "You found out information about your allies, and when you realized that we have been lied to, you are going to call them out on it."

"... Whatever. If that's what the rest of you call a savvy politician, I dread to ever meet whomever you call a 'mastermind.'"

Candy giggled as she hopped over a tree root. "Hon, you have the advantage of instantly knowing things with your [Observe]. As far as other politicians are concerned, you are their worst enemy."

"How so?" I asked my wife.

"Boss," Lux interrupted. "You can process information on scale that politicians can't. You can see, hear, spy, and move on anything. They can't. Surely you realize that...?" she asked with a disbelieving look.

I looked at her and then at Candy.

"Wait, really? I thought other kings were as good as I was. I mean, Galburia had to be to become big as they are now, right?"

The S ranking siblings gave me a flat stare.

"Sir," Garen spoke up. "Not to be rude, but Galburia got to that size with hundreds of years of war, sacrifice, looting, development, and diplomacy. You made a kingdom that could rival that in under five years. No one else has the right to consider themselves an equal to you."

"...Really?"

Candy sighed as she leaned on my shoulder, walking side by side with me. "Sometimes, Ru, I wonder how you're doing all this with the absentmindedness of yours."

**AKALLASVONAEROK**

No News today

**AKALLASVONAEROK**

_A/N: For those of you who don't quite get what the financial report was about, this AN will simplify it for you. 1) Carpathi Kingdom had more than enough gold to help Ironwood Kingdom, 2) Carpathi Kingdom was experiencing growth that medieval societies will never ever experience without severe upgrade, 3) put together, 1 + 2 points to a kingdom that could have easily helped Ironwood, 4) the King of Carpathi Kingdom, Daniel, lied to Ruto, who is his ally, 5) Carpathi Kingdom has used the wars to its south to benefit itself, and 6) Ironwood Kingdom basically had an ally who may or may not have helped them in the event of an invasion._


End file.
